White Plains Hospital is taking steps to reduce readmissions using new technology and resources to keep track of patients after they leave the hospital. In conjunction with the Affordable Care Act, the hospital implemented two new programs to assist patients during the weeks and months after they are discharged.
The first strategy is to record instructions on how to take medication on an iPad and to give patients a login and password to take home when they are discharged. The portal Good to Go, a personalized communications system developed by ExperiaHealth in San Francisco, is the tool patients can use to check instructions on how and when to take medications.
Patients can also choose to call in and dial their unique PIN to access audio instructions. Still others who are hearing impaired or visual learners can watch videos and look at pictures and documents that outline their medication information on their mobile devices. These detailed instructions include descriptions on a patient”™s medical conditions, a summary of his or her medical history and the regimen a patient needs to follow once he or she is home. It also reminds patients of upcoming appointment dates.
All of the information is password protected and meets the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act”™s privacy standards. With the patient”™s permission, family members or caregivers can access the information and assist in the recovery program.
“Based on initial results, we plan to expand the solution to our ambulatory surgery department to enhance our teaching with same-day surgery patients and family members,” Michael Palumbo, chief medical officer at White Plains Hospital, said in a press release. “The Good to Go solution is making a significant impact on how we engage our patients at discharge from the hospital.”
The hospital first started investing in iPads and the Good to Go technology when it used them for its pilot programs in the Maternity and Medical Surgical units within the past year.
Fifteen percent of hospitals around the nation that have used Good to Go experienced a reduction in readmissions in the last year, and 63 percent saw an improvement in survey responses regarding discharge communication, according to data by ExperiaHealth.
Not only is technology the new medium for helping patients after they are discharged, but White Plains Hospital recently hired a transition coach to make sure patients follow their regimens after leaving the hospital. The transition coach is a licensed social worker who calls the patients and routinely visits their homes.
Under the Affordable Care Act, hospitals are now responsible for ensuring that patients on Medicare transition properly after they are discharged. Hospitals may face significant penalties in the form of reduced Medicare reimbursement if they readmit too many Medicare patients within 30 days of their discharge.
“White Plains Hospital has been extremely proactive in its strategy to comply with the Affordable Care Act,” Palumbo said in a written statement. “These investments will set the standard for health care institutions across the region, leading the way into a new era of national health care policy and, more importantly, giving our patients the best care possible.”
