Have a Patient Safety Matter to Discuss?
Email: PPOCPatientSafety-dl@childrens.harvard.edu
Phone: 781-216-2138
Contact us when:
- You have a safety concern
- A "near miss" event occurs
- There is an unexpected patient outcome
- Your gut tells you that you need help
Patient Safety and Medical Home Manager: Cheryl Smith
Senior QI Consultant for Patient Safety: Nicole Pelletier
August 2019 Patient Safety Tip
Transitions of Care: Inadequate follow-up after an inpatient hospitalization or emergency department visit can lead to unplanned readmissions, medical errors, inefficient care/duplicative testing, and/or prolonged potentially avoidable hospital stays.
For safe patient care, contact the patient/caregiver within 72 hours post-discharge to review:
- The patient’s current health status
- Their understanding of discharge instructions and recommended care
- Pending test results
- Follow up appointments
- Medication reconciliation
- Home services/equipment needs
- Additional barriers to receiving care (e.g. transportation, cost)
- What to do if a medical problem arises
- Tip: Use a script
Document all follow-up telephonic conversations and call
attempts in an Epic Telephone Encounter using the correct “Reason for Call”...
- Discharge Follow-Up – Inpatient Admission
- Discharge Follow-Up – ED
- Discharge Follow-Up – Other
Tip: Create a standardized process to ensure all follow-up calls are made, such as the example here.