The toolkit will provide a step-wise approach to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve discharge planning. The toolkit will help quality teams establish goals, garner internal support for interventions, educate support staff, and evaluate their results.
The interventional approaches and tools are focused on:
- Improving communication among sending and receiving physicians;
- Better preparing patients for post-discharge medication management and other self-care; and
- Facilitating follow-up care and transfer of patient information.
On Sept. 7, SHM convened an advisory board in Chicago to review and provide feedback on our proposed interventional strategies, technical support offerings, and evaluation plan. An impressive group of key stakeholders attended, including:
- Representatives from major payer groups such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Kaiser Permanente;
- Professional societies including the American Geriatrics Society, the Society of General Internal Medicine, the Case Management Society of America, and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.
- Representation from the John A. Hartford Foundation, patient advocates from The Families and Health Care Project, and leaders and practicing professionals in nursing, social work, case management, patient advocacy, geriatrics, primary care, quality improvement and, of course, hospital medicine.
While not at the September meeting, the advisory board also includes representatives from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Joint Commission.
The advisory board provided valuable feedback on SHM’s proposed toolkit and applauded our efforts to lead teams to make substantial local hospital improvements. Participants also had the opportunity to share existing resources and strategize opportunities to encourage wide-scale adoption of the toolkit. In February the advisory board plans to reconvene to review the completed toolkit.
SHM is developing training opportunities for institutions adopting the toolkit, designed to meet the full spectrum of technical assistance needs. The full toolkit will be available free on SHM’s Web site in the spring. At the April 2008 SHM Annual Meeting in San Diego, quality teams can participate in a daylong pre-course on general quality improvement principles and hands-on application of the toolkit.
In May, SHM will begin reviewing applications for sites wishing to participate in the yearlong mentoring program or a more intensive short-term, on-site consultant service. For more information on these technical assistance programs, visit the SHM Web site at www.hospitalmedicine.org and select the “Quality Improvement” link, then “Current Initiatives.”
We hope you and your institution will join our journey into the white space to improve discharge planning and help our patients “live long and prosper.” TH