Discharge Planning: Patient Guides

Discharge planning occurs whenever an admitted patient leaves a hospital or skilled nursing facility.  When a patient is discharged home, his/her discharge plan may include follow-up steps the patient needs to take, referrals to in-home care providers or skilled care, prescriptions, and other directives.

Learn about the discharge process

• United Hospital Fund publication, “Hospital to Home,” describes the discharge and appeal process, and includes questions for the caregiver to consider.  The guide is available in multiple languages.
• United Hospital Fund publication, “, “Rehab to Home,” covers discharge planning from a skilled nursing rehab facility.

Find a discharge planning checklist

• This Medicare checklist provides action steps patients and their families can take to prepare for discharge.  The publication also describes Medicare’s appeal process.
• United Hospital Fund publication, “Going Home: What You Need to Know,” includes questions patients and their families may consider when preparing for discharge.  The publication is available in multiple languages.

Follow-up after discharge

• This guide from the federal AHRQ describes information patients may wish to gather to prepare for follow-up medical appointments after discharge from a hospital or rehab facility.
  

HIPAA Guides

Among other things, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act protects patient rights by restricting  to whom medical professionals can share patient health records.  Learn more about HIPAA from the resources below.  Note: Your employer may have privacy rules that surpass HIPAA requirements.

Consumer Guides

1. HIPAA Overview – This 3 page federal DHHS document describes when medical professionals can and cannot share patient health records with friends and family.  the document also explains how the law stands on written permission and proof of relationship.
2. HIPAA and family caregivers – This 3 page guide, from the United Health Fund, describes HIPAA, explains why it matters to caregivers, and provides advice on what caregivers can do if they have difficulty accessing information about a family member’s health.  The guide also is available in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian.

Clinician Guides

1. HIPAA Overview – This 5 page federal DHHS document describes when medical professionals can and cannot share patient health records with friends and family.  The document also explains how the law stands on written permission and proof of relationship.
2. HIPAA Overview – This 1 page United Health Fund document describes in brief when medical professionals can and cannot share patient health records.  The document covers how the law defines “family.”

For more information: See these two federal DHHS websites: 1 and 2.

Retirement Planning Guides: Social Security and Health Insurance

1. 2 page AARP consumer guide entitled, “Money Matters: Timing Your Retirement,” includes advice on when to draw from Social Security
2. 28 page Metlife Mature Market Institute consumer guide entitled, “Retirement Planning: Health Care Considerations.”  The guide includes information on Medicare and other health insurance options

Disaster Planning Guides

• This guide from the federal Administration on Aging’s National Family Caregiver Support Program includes advice and a checklist on wasy to help older adults and their caregivers develop a disaster plan
• The federal Administration on Aging’s brochure contains tips on how families can create an emergency communications plan.
• This federal Homeland Security guide instructs home care providers on ways to help patients prepare for disaster.

Consumer guides for assessing the financial solvency of Continuing Care Retirement Facilities

• 20 page brochure (by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) entitled, “Consumer Guide to Understanding Financial Performance and Reporting in Continuing Care Retirement Facilities.
• Checklist (from the National Senior Citizens Law Center) for evaluating a CCRC’s financial solvency.

Vehicle Modification Resources

1. Free federal publication, “Adapting Motor Vehicles for Older Drivers.”
2. Federal article, “Adapting Motor Vehilces for People with Disabilities.”
3. List, of funding sources for vehicle modification, from Easter Seals.

Guides on choosing an adult day program

1. Guide and checklist from the National Adult Day Services Association.
2. MetLife Mature Market Institute consumer guide.

Recipient of the Alzheimer’s Foundation Center of Excellence Award, Iona’s Adult Day Health, Wellness, and Arts Center provides nursing care and activities that stimulate the mind, body, and spirit.  For more information, call 202-895-9448.

Resources for Medicare Appeals

General Appeals

• The federal Medicare Ombudsman offers advocacy services for consumers with complaints against Medicare.  For more information, see Medicare’s website.

Part A or B appeals

• 6 page Federal publication on making appeals against original Medicare Part A and B.

Part C (Medicare Advantage) appeals

• 7 page Federal publication on making appeals against Medicare Part C.

Part D (Prescription coverage) appeals

• 8 page Federal publication on making appeals against Medicare Part D.
• 2009 Medicare Rights Center professional publication on Part D appeals.

Viactical and Life Settlements

These tools allow people to sell their life insurance policies for cash.  Learn about Life Settlements from these resources from these documents by AARP, Elderlaw Answers, and the State of Maryland (1, 2).  The Maryland Insurance Administration also keeps a list of registered viactical settlement providers.

Breast Cancer Resources

1. Free breast and cervical cancer screenings are available to certain low-income women age 64 and younger through this federal program.  Find a local program here.
2. Free federal consumer guide to medications that help reduce the risk of breast cancer.
3. Free federal consumer guide on breast biopsies.