In an editorial published in the Queens Courier, Stephen S. Mills, CEO of New York Hospital Queens in New York City, outlines his organization's five-point plan to reduce readmissions.
1. The medical staff creates patients discharge plans early during the patients' stay and arranges after-hospital care.
2. The medical staff educates patients and their family on medication regimens and adherence.
3. The palliative care team counsels patients and empowers them to communicate how they would like to handle their future healthcare.
4. Through the hospital's discharge phone call program, nurses reaches out to patients at risk for readmission to ask about symptoms. This way, nurses can identify patients' concerns and address them accordingly.
5. The hospital also offers post-discharge assistance to patients, including in-home visits. Patients may also opt for post-discharge care at the hospital's coming "transitional care unit," which will be run by a skilled nursing team from the Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
1. The medical staff creates patients discharge plans early during the patients' stay and arranges after-hospital care.
2. The medical staff educates patients and their family on medication regimens and adherence.
3. The palliative care team counsels patients and empowers them to communicate how they would like to handle their future healthcare.
4. Through the hospital's discharge phone call program, nurses reaches out to patients at risk for readmission to ask about symptoms. This way, nurses can identify patients' concerns and address them accordingly.
5. The hospital also offers post-discharge assistance to patients, including in-home visits. Patients may also opt for post-discharge care at the hospital's coming "transitional care unit," which will be run by a skilled nursing team from the Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.
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