title: New discharge planning rules focus on preferences, transitions.
abstract: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued proposed changes to the Medicare Conditions of Participation that would increase the focus on patient preferences in the discharge process and beef up communication when patients are discharged from the hospital. The requirements would be in effect for critical access hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in addition to acute care hospitals and would require a discharge plan for patients receiving observation services, patients being released from the emergency department, and patients receiving same-day surgery or procedures that require anesthesia or sedation. The proposed rule requires the discharge plan to include patients' goals and preferences and that the treating physician help create the plan. It includes specific requirements for discharge instructions. A big focus is providing the primary care physician with the discharge summary and other comprehensive information to the patient's primary care physician within 48 hours of discharge and pending test results within 24 hours of their availability. It spells out specific information that should be provided at the time a patient transfers to a post-acute facility or is referred for home health services.
mesh_terms: D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D010351:Patient Discharge; D014481:United States