A Continuing Series about Miscommunication in Healthcare by Michael J. Grace, JD, CPHRM.
Long before you leave the hospital there will be numerous conversations with case managers, nurses, doctors, and social workers about the continuum of care at your next destination whether it is home, a rehabilitation location, or a skilled nursing facility.
The Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services has designed a system of financial “carrots and sticks” to incentivize the hospital with the goal that you not be readmitted within 30 days of discharge. To that end, anticipate being questioned about your social support system and any barriers to recovery. Miscommunication among any of the participants is likely to land you back in the hospital, thereby compromising your health and delaying recovery.
Discharge misunderstandings are rampant, especially regarding follow-up care and medication. Hospitals typically strive to complete all discharges by 11 am to clear rooms for new admissions. Patients need to speak up about any confusion no matter how rushed they feel to leave the hospital.
Who do you talk to if your needs are not being met? If the issue involves a nurse, go up the nursing chain of command – shift supervisor, charge nurse, or floor nursing director. At night, ask for the Nursing House Supervisor. If it’s a hospitalist or emergency physician issue, speak with the head of the hospitalist or emergency group or the hospital’s Chief Medical Officer. Apart from these resources, you are always at liberty to speak with the institution’s Patient Relations Officer, Risk Manager or Patient Safety Officer.
Mike Grace is the author and illustrator of The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient Nurse Communication available at Amazon and other booksellers. He can be reached at 619-252-3656.
