How Can Hospitals Help Slow Readmissions?
Many hospitals are at risk for patient readmission fines. Since readmission fees began, many hospitals find themselves losing income. There are ways to avoid unnecessary patient readmissions within 30 days of hospital discharge. One method to avoid this fee is to give recently discharged patients thorough information about their current prescription medicine management. Giving this responsibility to telehealth pharmacists can improve medication management and decrease hospital readmission due to medication mismanagement. By giving more benefits of telehealth for patients, they are able to receive individualized attention from local pharmacists.
Depending on their diagnosis, discharged patients could have several medications and without a full understanding of how and when to use them. The hectic discharging process can be stressful for patients. Their understanding of their new medication can get lost in their discharged state. Mismanaging medication could become lethal to patients. Patients can further their medication knowledge through a telehealth pharmacist’s thorough explanation. Benefits of telehealth for patients can avoid hospital readmission due to a patient’s lack of medication understanding and decrease readmission fees for hospitals.
Hospitals Try To Curb Readmissions
Pharmacists can provide vital resources for recently discharged patients via telehealth communications. Patients with a higher understanding of medicine management have a lower risk of readmission. One way to increase this rate is by having available and close-by pharmacists or by using the many benefits of telehealth for patients. For many recently discharged patients, travel is an avoidable burden. Recently discharged patients have a high risk of contracting infections and viruses. By creating telehealth communication for recovering patients, they can avoid exposing themselves to other illnesses from their community. Providing a selected time for telehealth pharmacists and patients to thoroughly discuss medication management can decrease patient readmission due to improper use of prescription medicine.
