Keeping It Simple: Empowering Discharged Patients Through Ongoing Communication

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has changed the face of healthcare in America – including the way hospitals and health systems are reimbursed for the care that they provide. 2015 marks another year that hospitals are feeling the pain of decreased Medicare reimbursements as they relate to patients returning to the hospitals within 30 days of discharge. Government records are tracking the loss equal to approximately $420 million dollars for hospitals nationwide, with our home Garden State ranked worst in the country. 

Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, part of the ACA, specifically speaks to hospitals paying closer attention to what happens to patients post-discharge to avoid readmissions within 30 days. Oftentimes, return visits and readmissions are linked to situations that patients and their caregivers could easily manage without the need for a hospital – or emergency department – visit and readmission.

What’s the solution? How do we empower consumers – and their caregivers – to trust in their providers and themselves to confidently follow the regimens reviewed with them at discharge? How do we support and deliver ongoing communication to the discharged patient population to increase compliance and empower patients in a way that’s approachable and digestible? How can we “keep it simple”, distilling often seemingly complicated and detailed discharge instructions into easy to understand tidbits that patients feel comfortable following, and their caregivers can support?

This is our opportunity – to attract, engage and retain our audience, giving them something of value to establish a trusting relationship. GoMo Health is working with various partners across the country on innovative solutions to do just that…