The Pros And Cons Of Hospital Readmissions

For most people who have been admitted in the hospital wait for the moment when they are told that they will be discharged to either their home, nursing home or even rehab. Everyone know that the hospital can be a hard place to rest especially when sick or in pain with daily hourly visits from nurses, doctors, and even other hospital staff. Although rest is the first thing on a person's mind when sick or in pain we have to be certain that the body is getting the right treatment and time to heal before leaving the hospital. This a difficult task for both healthcare providers and patients and can cause hospital readmissions.

Over 35 million hospital discharges annually in the United States are involved in this challenge (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). The cost of unplanned readmissions is 15 to 20 billion dollars annually for Medicare patients, where about 20 percent who are discharged from a hospital are readmitted within 30 days (Jencks, Williams, and Coleman, 2009). If we are able to prevent readmissions into the hospitals it gives the possibility to greatly improve both the quality of life for patients and the financial responsibility of healthcare systems.

In order to insure the new standards when it comes to hospital readmissions, facilities

Instead of having a transition coach an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) works to come up with the best pre-discharge patient assessment depending on the patient and their needs. The APRN gives multiple phone calls and home visits after discharge to the patient to make sure the patients do not have any questions and directions given are followed to reduce hospital readmission. They even go with the patient on their first visit to the PCP to make sure all information needed is given to the PCP to ensure better recovery (Nelson & Pulley,