Phase 1: Filling prescriptions prior to discharge
The first phase, which began in Oct. 2011, involved coordinating with the hospital pharmacy to fill and deliver prescriptions to the patients’ bedside. In addition, social workers at the hospital used department funds to help pay for medications for patients who otherwise could not afford them.
Phase 2: Following up with primary care providers early
In the second phase, which began in April 2012, hospital staff made appointments for patients to visit their primary care physician within two days of discharge. St. John Hospital used this strategy because an analysis of hospital readmissions showed that approximately 20 percent of readmissions occurred in the first three days post-discharge. Ensuring patients followed up with their primary care physician early prevented patients from needing to return to the hospital.
“The key to the success of this project was simplicity,” says Osama Nunu, MD, a practicing hospitalist with IPC The Hospitalist Company who led the initiative. Having simple interventions helped gain buy-in from physicians and staff. Implementing the interventions in two phases facilitated the transition to a new process and enabled leaders to identify which intervention was responsible for the effect; in this case, both interventions led to the readmission reduction.
More Articles on Hospital Readmissions:
Quality Improvement at UCLA Hospitals: Sharing Innovations and Training Providers
Lowering Readmission Rates Through Retail Clinic Partnerships
Study: Return ED Visits Account for Half of Patient Returns to Acute-Level Care
