Q&A: Planned hospital admissions

Q. What do case managers need to know about patients prior to a planned admission?

A. When working with patients and their families prior to a planned hospital admission, the case manager must know the patient’s payer source or insurance plan and should review the benefits with the patient and family. The patient should identify his or her preferred discharge plan and at least one backup plan in case the preferred plan is not possible. After assessing the patient, determining the supports and resources available to him or her, and hearing the patient’s preferred discharge plan, the case manager should discuss options with the patient and family—preparing the patient for any plan variances—and should then develop a tentative discharge plan.

For more information, see Case Management Patient Communication Toolkit.

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