Reducing Readmission with Accurate Discharge Summaries
Discharge summary medical transcription must be performed with great attention to detail as it is an important medical record.
MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION SERVICE COMPANY 8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H Tulsa, OK 74133 Phone : 1-800-670-2809
Discharge summary medical transcription must be performed with great attention to detail as it is an important medical record. Each time a patient is released from the hospital or any other inpatient care setting a report that provides an overview of the patient’s hospitalization from the time of admission till discharge is given to the patient and it is known as discharge summary. Discharge summary is a brief report about the patient’s condition and treatment, and it includes:
Admission and discharge dates
Name of the physician providing patient care
Initial and final diagnoses
Details of surgeries and medical procedures performed
Laboratory and diagnostic data
Chronological narrative of the patient’s progress from admission till discharge
Medications the patient is taking at the time of discharge
Post- discharge instructions and plans
Discharge Summary – Its Role in Reducing Readmissions Discharge summaries are an important means of communication, allowing hospitalists to communicate with both primary care physiciansand patients. Readmission of patients into a hospital is a problem because the hospital may face financial penalties for the readmissions. Readmissions are often due to a communication gap with the patients, and incomplete or inadequate discharge summaries. Smooth communication between physicians, hospital administrators and patients during the discharge period ensures patient safety and reduces the chances of readmission. A study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine identified that direct communication between hospitalists and primary care physicians happen only 3 to 20 percent at the time of discharge. Physicians may be too busy for a face-to-face communication at the time of patient’s discharge. This is where discharge summary comes into play. With discharge summaries, hospitalists can communicate well with patients and primary care physicians, and provide quality patient care. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine observed that only one third (12 to 33 percent) primary care physicians were able to access the patient’s
discharge
summaries at the time of patient’s first post-discharge visit. This lack of communication results in primary care physicians being unaware about the patient’s diagnosis, reconciled discharge medications, test results that demand action, pending test results, and required follow-up care. This highlights the importance of improving communication
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1-800-670-2809
between hospitalists and primary care physicians, and ensuring they make good use of the discharge summary. It is important for healthcare providers to take constructive measures that can ensure better communication among primary care physicians, patients and hospitalists. A reliable medical transcription service company can provide great support in this regard, creating accurate and complete discharge summaries. It will help improve medical record management and patient care.
www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com
1-800-670-2809