By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    What Are the Benefits of CBD?
    November 27, 2021
    How to Measure Adult Diapers- The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Right Size
    March 8, 2022
    medicine cabinet
    The Effect Of Finished Dosage Form Manufacturing In New Drugs
    July 5, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Health Provisions in Obama’s Deficit Plan Good for Campaigning
    September 20, 2011
    Doctors on Google: Manhattan Research Survey 2012
    July 23, 2012
    HealthCare’s Need for Transparency Goes Far Beyond Pricing
    December 10, 2012
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Was Granny Sent Home from the Hospital Too Soon?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Was Granny Sent Home from the Hospital Too Soon?
Hospital Administration

Was Granny Sent Home from the Hospital Too Soon?

Michael Kirsch
Michael Kirsch
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE
Over the years, I have heard families bemoan that their relative who was just readmitted to the hospital was sent home too early just a few days ago. Are they right?
Over the years, I have heard families bemoan that their relative who was just readmitted to the hospital was sent home too early just a few days ago. Are they right?
Was Gramps Kicked Out Too Soon?
 
First, let me say that in some instances they may be correct.  It is certainly possible that the hospital, under increased pressure to kick folks out, may have pulled the discharge trigger too soon.  The hospital is not always right even if their ‘discharge check list’ seemed to be in order.  Of course, patients are not adequately represented by a check list any more than physicians’ quality can be fairly measured in the check off, cook book method that the government and insurance companies are now championing.
 
The hospital discharge check list may indicate that a patient with pneumonia can be safely discharged home as she has no fever or need for supplemental oxygen.  However, this patient may be 89 years old, riddled with arthritis and needs to attend to a spouse suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  Is she really ready for home life?
 
Hospitals these days are more careful than ever about premature discharge, not so much from newfound compassion, but because they will suffer a financial penalty if a patient is readmitted within 30 days under certain circumstances.  For example, if a patient with congestive heart failure is sent home, but then returns 2 weeks later with worsening heart failure, then the hospital will lose money.  This has created a robust outpatient follow-up industry with visiting nurses, physicians and social workers to try to keep folks from coming back to the hospital, at least within 30 days.  (Joke alert: The terminal phrase of the last sentence was in jest.)  I applaud this system which serves everyone’s interests. 
 
In the hospital, care coordinators cruise through the corridors leafing through charts to initiate discharge planning.  These are nurses who have left the wards for a cleaner administrative function.   Although I did disparage the hospital discharge check list mentality above, and rightly so, I have found these care coordinators to be compassionate and understanding with regard to individual patient circumstances.  They know when to bend some rules, perhaps because they were once hands on nurses themselves. 
 
Sometimes, a patient needs to be readmitted to the hospital and it’s simply no one’s fault. It is a difficult concept for many Americans to grasp that an adverse event could occur without an individual or an institution to blame.  Remember, we live in a society where folks sued Burger King alleging the company was responsible for their kids’ obesity. I counsel families that when we are sending their relative home, particularly when they suffer from chronic diseases or other incurable conditions, that we do so based on what I and the others on the team know at the time. We are not clairvoyant. If we had this power and knew that the patient would become more ill 3 days hence, we wouldn’t sent him home. It’s may not be quite fair, but would be quite understandable, to wonder if a patient who is readmitted should never have been discharged home in the first place.   There are some patients who are so fragile, that they can tilt backwards anytime and for very small reasons. 
 
What we know for sure is that life and illness are unpredictable. 

 

 
TAGGED:hospital dischargereadmission penalties
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

What If We Paid for Patient Recovery?

November 6, 2014

Essential Features of Today’s Hospital Websites

May 4, 2016
Medical Necessity
BusinessFinanceHospital Administration

5 Issues Associated with Medical Necessity

August 29, 2014
Men vs. Women
Hospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Does Decreased Length of Hospital Stay Equal Lower Cost?

April 10, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?