Q&A: Discharge planning and quality improvement

Q: How can discharge planners involve the quality improvement team in the discharge planning process?

A: Discharge planners should evaluate the discharge planning process in conjunction with the facility’s quality improvement team. The quality improvement team’s standard process should provide a foundation for the discharge planning team. Identifying workflow processes that require improvement is a possible topic for this process. Use the six steps of the discharge planning process:

1. Initial assessment: identifying the discharge needs of all patients and those in need of specialized discharge planning
2. Evaluation of the patient’s continuity-of-care needs, sometimes called transition needs assessment
3. Assessment of post-discharge resources: those resources available to the individual patient
4. Problem identification/goal setting
5. Planning
6. Implementation (discharge, transfer, or referral)

For more information, see Discharge Planning Guide: Tools for Compliance, Fourth Edition.

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