Improved Discharge Planning and Summaries Ensure Smooth Transitions of Care

​Hospital discharge plans and summaries are falling short of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate required for transitions of care between hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, according to an article published in the June 2017 issue of Caring for the Ages. The author notes that current CMS guidelines for discharge planning are successful if followed, but breakdowns in communication and documentation compromise the quality of care for patients. The author of the article provides an example of how one hospital implemented a quality initiative focused on maintaining accurate and complete discharge summaries for all patients transitioning to residential health care facilities.