Discharge Planning Worksheet and Standards: Ensuring Compliance with the CMS Hospital CoPs and Proposed Changes

This program will discuss the final surveyor worksheet for assessing compliance with the CMS hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) for discharge planning. This worksheet is used by State and Federal surveyors on all survey activity in hospitals assessing compliance with the discharge planning standards.

The proposed 2019 changes will require that this be done within 48 hours of discharge. The proposed changes to discharge planning include 5 things to include in the admission assessment, 5 data things to measure, 5 things that must be in the discharge instruction, changes to the discharge planning evaluation, and 21 things in the transfer form. Is your hospital familiar with the interpretive guidelines and the worksheet information? Come learn what other important things CMS has in their final worksheet which addresses preventing hospital readmissions.

Healthcare compliance expert Sue Dill Calloway, will discuss about what your hospital has to do to be in compliance with the discharge planning standards. CMS has published data showing the number of deficiencies that hospitals have already received in the discharge planning standards and this data will be provided.

CMS has included something new in the memo known as “blue boxes.” The expert will show you how to use the blue boxes to improve patient outcomes.

Optimal discharge planning can help prevent unnecessary readmissions. Hospitals that have a higher readmission rate can be financially penalized. In fact, 2,573 hospitals forfeited $564 million in 2018.

CMS requires a number of discharge planning policies and procedures so come learn which ones are required and why.

Session Agenda

• CMS issues Discharge Planning memo issued
• Transmittal issued and into final manual
• How this will impact the discharge planning worksheet
• CMS Deficiency Memo shows this is a problematic area
• Introduction
• Blue box or advisory boxes
• CMS crosswalk to old tags
• Discharge planning
• A to Z of Discharge Planning Worksheet Completion
• Identification of patients in need of discharge planning
• Discharge planning evaluation
• RN, social worker or qualified person to develop evaluation
• Timely evaluation
• Discussion of evaluation with patient or individual acting on their behalf
• Discharge evaluation must be in the medical record
• Discharge plan
• Physician request for discharge planning
• Implementation of the patient’s discharge plan
• Reassessment of the discharge plan
• Freedom of choice for LTC or home health agencies
• Transfer or referral

Session Objectives

• Discuss the CMS has published a worksheet on discharge planning
• Recall that CMS has discharge planning standards that every hospital must follow
• Discuss when information about the discharge must be provided to the primary care physician who will be following up the patient after discharge

Who Should Attend?

Discharge planners, transitional care nurses, social workers, chief nursing officer, compliance officer, chief operation officer, chief medical officers, physicians, all nurses with direct patient care, risk managers, social workers, regulatory officer, physician advisor, UR nurses, compliance officer, Joint Commission coordinator, nurse educators, chief operating officer, chief executive officer, staff nurses, physicians, nurse managers, PI director, health information director, billing office director, patient safety officer, and anyone else involved with the discharge planning. Any person serving on a hospital committee to redesign the discharge process to prevent unnecessary readmissions should also attend.

Ask a question at the Q&A session following the live event and get advice unique to your situation, directly from our expert speaker.