Discharge Planning
Discharge planning serves as the foundation for systematic, effective patient flow. Expected, planned, coordinated, and completed patient discharges improve patient care, satisfaction, and create stability in hospital capacity. Without effective discharge planning, a hospital would be unable to meet admission demand. Hospitals depend on Nursing Units and Case Management to facilitate discharges, but keeping an open communication with Patient Placement is also a critical step in the process. Discharge planning tools enable users to effectively update discharge activity and communicate to all areas impacted by patient discharges, including Patient Placement and EVS.
Where you can find this feature: Patient Tracking Portal.
How Discharge Planning Works
Functionality
Discharge planning involves setting discharge statuses for patients, which can be either Pending Discharge or Confirmed Discharge.
Pending Discharge: An educated decision from the Nursing Unit or Case Management that a patient may be discharged within the next 24 hours.
Represented by:
d(lowercase) with a blue background - Pending Discharge with a discharge date after today or if there is no projected discharge date identified.D(uppercase) with a blue background - Pending Discharge with a discharge date for today.
Confirmed Discharge: A written order that a patient will be discharged.
Represented by:
c(lowercase) with a red background - Confirmed Discharge with a discharge date after today or if there is no projected discharge date identified.C(uppercase) with a red background - Confirmed Discharge with a discharge date for today.
Pending and Confirmed Discharges provide accurate Projected Census:
D= Pending discharge for today.d= Pending discharge after today.C= Confirmed discharge order for today.c= Confirmed discharge order after today.
Setting Pending or Confirmed Discharges
Workflows
Setting Pending/Confirmed Discharges
Click on the ST column for the appropriate patient.
Choose either Set Confirmed Discharge or Set Pending Discharge.
A pop-up box will appear confirming the action.
Update the Projected Discharge date and time to the best estimate. This is only used as a guideline to help Patient Placement know when the bed might be vacated.
Click Save.
The patient’s ST column will now display the appropriate status.
The Milestones column will also now display for the patient.