SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Discharge Milestones: Improving the Efficiency and Reliability of Discharge Planning to Streamline Hospital Throughput

Discharge Milestones: Improving the Efficiency and Reliability of Discharge Planning to Streamline Hospital Throughput

Pdf Summary

The document describes <strong>Discharge Milestones</strong>, a new automated electronic health record (EHR) tool designed to improve hospital discharge planning. Its goal is to make communication among the inter-professional care team more reliable and real-time, which can help reduce unnecessary delays and shorten hospital length of stay (LOS).

The background explains that discharge planning is often done asynchronously by multiple team members, making it difficult to quickly determine a patient’s readiness for discharge or the status of care coordination. This can lead to over-processing and longer stays in the hospital.

To address this, the team modified existing discharge checklist features in the Epic EHR system. They added an <strong>estimated discharge date (EDD)</strong> to help prioritize tests and consultations for patients expected to leave within 12–24 hours. They also created a discharge report that adds useful details such as follow-up care, whether discharge orders have been placed, and post-acute care placement.

Early results from a 3-month pilot were promising: <strong>EDD accuracy improved from 45% to 65%</strong>, and the <strong>LOS index decreased from 1.04 to 1.02</strong>. These findings suggest that existing EHR tools can be adapted and automated to improve the accuracy of discharge planning information and support more efficient hospital throughput.

Asset Subtitle

Catherine Y. Lau

Meta Tag

Author List Aline Zorian, Brian Holt, Catherine Y. Lau, Christy Boscardin, Christy Sedore, Craig Johnson, Jan Yeager, Mendy Eckhaus, Misti Meador, Ralph Gonzales, Robert Schechtman, Ronald Wu, Sarah Imershein

Category Innovations

Concept Discharge Planning Automation

Concept Hospital Flow

Concept Length of Stay

Concept Discharge Readiness

Concept Electronic Health Record

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of California, San Francisco

Presenting Author Catherine Y. Lau

Track Transitions of Care

Keywords

Discharge Milestones

electronic health record

EHR tool

hospital discharge planning

estimated discharge date

inter-professional care team

length of stay

discharge checklist

Epic EHR

care coordination

Discharge Planning Automation

Hospital Flow

Length of Stay

Discharge Readiness

Electronic Health Record