Discharge planning is a critical aspect of patient care, yet it’s often overlooked. The disconnection between inpatient and outpatient care leads to a lack of follow-up and suboptimal care, which can result in hospital readmissions. To provide the best possible care for patients, medical practices need to embrace a proactive model and use modern solutions to bridge the gap between the hospital and the office.
Playing Reactive Medicine
When patients are discharged from the hospital, there’s a lot of preparation involved. Healthcare providers review medications, provide instructions, and identify follow-up care needs, but it’s up to the patient to follow through with these instructions. While this may not be an issue for younger patients or those with simpler health problems, older patients with complex health issues are more likely to fall through the cracks. This can be a problem when they reach out to the office and staff are unaware of their situation.
Embrace the Proactive Model
A proactive model can change the patient experience and improve outcomes. By using a comprehensive rounding and charge capture solution, medical practices can improve the transition between hospital and office. These solutions allow providers to indicate disposition, follow-up needs, and even enter custom order sets for testing. The immediacy of the follow-up instructions means that staff can focus on high-risk patients, reducing the likelihood of readmission. Additionally, these solutions provide a wealth of data to track diseases, high-risk patients, and testing trends.
For a Better Hospital Rounding Experience
At HybridChart, we understand the importance of streamlining workflows and improving patient outcomes. Our cloud-based software adapts to the unique workflow of each practice and provides charge capture, census management, secure messaging, discharge planning, and data analytics. By utilizing these features, practices can improve their profitability and patient outcomes.
Take your medical practice to the next level with HybridChart. Visit our website, call us at 877-977-5544, or schedule a demo today to learn how we can help you improve your hospital rounding experience.
- More About Dr. Sanders
Dr. Gregory Sanders is a Harvard-trained, practicing cardiologist and founder and CEO of HybridChart. He has been coding since the 1980s and has spent his medical career focusing on improving processes. His patient care skills earned him recognition as one of Phoenix Magazine’s TOP DOCs. He lives in Scottsdale with his family.