Discharge Planning Advisor Archives – June 1, 2009
June 1, 2009
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Electronic health records are changing discharge planning in unexpected ways
Information technology's toehold in U.S. hospitals and health care organizations likely will expand considerably in the coming decade as hospital systems and medical clinics receive federal stimulus package funds to make investments in electronic medical records (EMRs) and other new technology. -
Special Report: Information technology changes DP: Australian system relies on e-discharge summary
Melanie Jane Alderton, Bapp Sci Hons, health information manager of medical records for Balmain Hospital in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia, has researched the use of electronic discharge summaries in Australia. Discharge Planning Advisor asked her in this Q&A story about her research and about how information technology impacted discharge planning in her country. -
Hospital discharge process can be more efficient
While hospital discharge planners make certain each patient's discharge and transition in care are handled with quality of care and safety in mind, it's the job of hospital operations chiefs to make certain the entire process runs smoothly and efficiently. -
Expert offers tips on improving DP flow
Hospitals can save hundreds of thousands of dollars, improve bed occupancy rates, and reduce staffing discontent by improving discharge operations and patient flow, an expert suggests. -
Scale measures quality of hospital discharge process
Researchers have developed various tools to give discharge planners and physicians objective ways to determine whether patients are ready to be discharged from the hospital to home. -
DPs need to communicate with families about APS
Challenging times economically mean discharge planners might have fewer referral options than they've had in the past. This gap could lead discharge planners to find solutions that create other problems. -
Researchers study transition to community successes
Researchers who reviewed thousands of studies have found that enhanced hospital discharge support might prevent or delay hospital readmissions for heart failure and stroke patients.