Discharge Planning: Compliance with the New CMS Hospital & CAH CoPs

Description

This program will cover the new final changes to the discharge planning standards that became effective December 1, 2019. These were published in the Federal Register on September 30, 2019. CMS will publish revised interpretive guidelines and survey procedures to match the new regulations. These apply to all hospitals, including critical access hospitals. Hospitals will be happy to find out that CMS scaled back on many of the proposed rules that hospitals had expressed concern about.

This program will discuss the impact act and how it affects hospital discharge planning. It requires the standardized assessment, quality data, and resource data requirements. It requires hospitals to assist patient with post-discharge care such as home health, skilled nursing facilities, long term care hospitals and inpatient rehab facilities. Patients have freedom of choice and now information on all four must be provided except for CAHs. 

The new regulations cover sections on patient timely access to medical records, the discharge planning process, discharge instructions, discharge planning requirements. It will cover transfers to other facilities, assessment of readmission within 30 days, caregiver rights and recommendations, reduction of factors that lead to preventable readmissions, timely discharge planning, and more.

This program will also cover what was not adopted by CMS. In many sections that were not adopted, CMS made recommendations to hospitals. This includes the prescription drug monitoring program, the 24 hour requirement to initiate a discharge plan, 8 things to be in the discharge planning assessment, 21 things to be included in the transfer form, medication reconciliation, the discharge summary and instructions must be sent within 48 hours of discharge and more.

This program will briefly 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. CMS will revise the worksheet to reflect the revised discharge planning standards.

Come join this important webinar to learn about what your hospital has to do to be in compliance with revised 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 blue boxes contain advisory practices which are recommendation to improve patient outcomes. Blue box recommendations are not required for hospital compliance.

Discharge planning is not only important to ensure compliance with the CMS standards but also for reimbursement. Optimal discharge planning can help prevent unnecessary readmissions. Hospitals that have a higher readmission rate can be financially penalized.

Session Highlights:

• Discuss the CMS has revised the discharge planning requirements that apply to all hospitals and critical access hospitals
• Recall patients and physicians can request a discharge planning evaluation 
• Discuss that information about the hospitalization must be provided to the physician or provider before the first post hospital visit
• Describe that the patient has a right to get medical records timely including a copy of their discharge plan

Who Should Attend?

• Discharge Planners
• RN discharge planners, 
• All Staff Nurses, ED nurses, Chief Nursing Officer, 
• Regulatory and Compliance officer
• Chief Operation officer, 
• Chief Medical Officers, 
• Physicians and Physician Advisor
• Risk Managers, 
• Anyone involved with the Discharge Planning