Strategies for reducing readmissions
Source: Leslie Curry, PhD, MPH
Quality Improvement and Performance Monitoring:
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Have a QI team for reducing readmissions for heart failure or acute myocardial infarction or both
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Monitor the percent of patients who have follow-up appointments within a week of discharge
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Monitor 30-day readmission rates
Medication Management:
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Providing patient education about the purpose of each medication and alterations to the medication list
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Having a pharmacist primarily responsible for doing medication reconciliation at discharge
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Having a pharmacy technician responsible for taking a medication history as part of the medication reconciliation process
Discharge Follow Up Procedures
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Patients receive an emergency plan
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Outpatient appointment arranged before discharge
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Outpatient physicians alerted to patient discharge within 2 days of discharge
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Patients called post-discharge to follow up on post-discharge needs or for additional patient education
