Quality hospital discharge planning means patients are discharged safely and sanely, and recover successfully.  Improving hospital discharge planning will improve outcomes of care, decrease adverse events, and lower health care costs.

My prior experience includes working in home health care and as a hospital discharge planner. When I mention to people in the community that I am interested in discharge planning, more often than not, I’m told about a poor experience that the person or their family member had leaving the hospital. For many adults, especially the elderly, transitioning from hospital to home is difficult and fraught with concern, worry, distress, and mishaps.  Our elders deserve better care