Hospital Discharge Planning Ensures a Successful Transition Home 

Donita Stacker, Director of Operations, Apricus, an Enlyte company

Prior to leaving the hospital, injured employees need a well-organized plan to ensure a successful transition home. This plan should include arrangements for essential services like durable medical equipment (DME), home health care, transportation and diagnostic services, especially in cases involving complex injuries.

Without a well-defined strategy for a seamless transition home, an injured employee may face difficulties in self-care, transportation issues for appointments, and increased frustration with their situation. These challenges can lead to safety risks, potential readmission and delays in recovery and return to work.

With proper support, transitioning from the hospital to home or a facility can be seamless. Home health providers are crucial in aiding injured employees who need in-home care or adjustments to their daily routines following a work injury. Transportation services ensure that these individuals reach their destinations safely. Additionally, DME plays a crucial role in securing the necessary equipment and services required for the injured employee’s recovery at home and throughout their rehabilitation journey. 

To lighten the workload for adjusters and case managers, it’s crucial to promptly delegate care coordination to a specialty solution provider. This includes organizing the essential products and services mentioned above, such as timely home health care and transportation services. Partnering with a specialty solution provider and their hospital discharge coordinators streamline the discharge planning process, minimizing the burden on adjusters and case managers.

Before a hospital discharge occurs, a care coordinator can work with the case manager and hospital staff to determine the injured employee’s needs. Skilled in asking the right questions, the coordinator ensures the comprehensive needs of the injured employee are addressed. By serving as a single point of contact for all planning, the coordinator effectively manages the specific requirements outlined by the physician, case manager, social worker and hospital staff. Additionally, the implementation of a hospital discharge planning program can result in substantial cost savings.

An effective discharge planning program should encompass several essential features: 

• A proactive approach, coordinating all products/services in advance of discharge
• Availability 365/24/7
• National provider coverage for all services
• Collaboration with case managers and adjusters
• Consistent ability to secure DME and home health services promptly
• Highly skilled professionals who understand the complexities of workers’ comp cases, recovery and return to work
• Coordination of complex/catastrophic cases with multiple parties
• Remove the guess work and provide simple and easy processes

When it comes to hospital discharge planning, specialty solution providers offer a single point of contact for all the equipment and services an injured employee may need to help facilitate their recovery. Care coordinators actively assess and secure services, ensuring timely access to care, while acting as compassionate advocates. Regularly collaborating with case managers and adjusters, these coordinators provide early coordination for all parties involved to achieve a smooth hospital discharge.

About the author

Donita Stacker has over 16 years of experience in the workers’ comp industry. In her current role as Manager of Strategic Implementations and Complex Care, she is responsible for delivering exceptional customer experiences during various implementation stages. As an operational leader, Donita collaborates with technical and operational teams to establish conversion strategies, capacity planning and outcome monitoring to ensure an overall successful program.

Donita is also a regular contributor to our Specialty Solutions Spotlight where portions of this article originally appeared. To ask and find the answers to more work comp specialty questions visit our website and subscribe to our monthly series. 

www.apricusinc.com

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