Webinar Overview

Hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid must adhere to CMS discharge planning guidelines, which apply to all patients, not just those under Medicare or Medicaid. This webinar will cover the necessary policies and procedures required by CMS for discharge planning, explaining the importance and impact of these regulations.

The session will address the updates to the discharge planning standards, focusing on the changes and their implications for hospitals, including the pending interpretive guidelines and survey procedures. Additionally, the Impact Act’s influence on discharge planning will be discussed, highlighting the requirements for standardized assessments, quality, and resource data. Hospitals must now support patients in arranging post-discharge care, offering information about home health, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care hospitals, and inpatient rehab facilities, except for CAHs.

Key areas covered include patient access to medical records, the discharge planning process, discharge instructions, and requirements. The session will also discuss transfers, readmission assessments within 30 days, caregiver rights, reduction of preventable readmissions, and timely discharge planning. Discharge planning requirements for Critical Access Hospitals will also be touched upon, as they align with acute hospital standards.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the revised CMS discharge planning requirements for all hospitals and critical access hospitals.
• Recognize the rights of patients and physicians to request a discharge planning evaluation.
• Learn the necessity of providing hospitalization information to the physician or provider before the first post-hospital visit.
• Understand patient rights to timely access to medical records and discharge plans.

Agenda

• Introduction
• Deficiency Data for Discharge Planning
• Discharge Planning Process and the IMPACT Act
• Identifying Patients in Need of Discharge Planning
• Role of Support Persons
• Considerations for Incapacitated Patients
• Components of the Discharge Planning Process
  • Evaluation by RN, Social Worker, or Qualified Individual
  • Timely Conduct of Evaluations
  • Discussion with Patient or Representative
  • Documentation in Medical Records
  • Development and Implementation of Discharge Plans
  • Physician Requests for Discharge Planning
  • Reassessment of Discharge Plans
• Freedom of Choice for Post-Acute Care Providers
• Transfer or Referral Processes
• Critical Access Hospital Discharge Planning Requirements
• Discharge Planning Metrics
• Appendix and Resources
  • Useful Resources and Internet Links

Who Should Attend

• Discharge Planners
• Transitional Care Nurses
• Social Workers
• Staff Nurses involved in Patient Discharge
• Chief Nursing Officers
• Nurse Educators
• Chief Operating Officers
• Chief Medical Officers
• Physicians
• Risk Managers
• Regulatory/Compliance Officers
• Utilization Review Nurses
• Joint Commission Coordinators
• Chief Executive Officers
• Nurse Managers
• Performance Improvement Directors
• Health Information Directors
• Patient Safety Officers
• Committee Members involved in Redesigning the Discharge Process to Reduce Readmissions