The average cost of a hospital readmission is over $15,000. Statistics find that within a month of the initial hospital visit or stay, 3.8 million adults returned to the hospital in 2018. That was a rate of 14 out of every 100 patients.
Your dad’s in the hospital. What can you do to lower the risk of him returning? The best thing to do is learn why hospital readmissions often occur.
Reactions to New Medications
Skilled Nursing Care in Oyster Bay, NY: Hospital Readmission
His doctor wants him to start taking a new medication. He’s not in the hospital long enough to take it while doctors are around. At home, your dad takes his pills and he has a serious reaction to it. You immediately take him back to the hospital.
If he has skilled nursing care at home, there’s a trained nurse in the home when he takes his medication for the first time. If there is a reaction, the nurse is there to help him and talk to his doctor about alternative options.
Lack of Understanding or Attention
When your dad’s doctors give him instructions to follow at home, how well did he pay attention? If he’s still coming out of anesthesia, he may be too foggy to remember everything he’s told. Make sure there’s a printout. If there isn’t, ask for one.
Another issue is that he hears what he’s supposed to do, but when he gets home, it’s harder to do than he expected. For example, his doctor gives him instructions on inspecting his incision to look for signs of infection. It’s red, puffy, and very sore, so your dad thinks that could be an infection, but whenever he’s had a cut, it’s been red and painful.
If he does have a mistake in judgment or doesn’t do something incorrectly, he could end up returning to the hospital. He has to know when to call with questions or even that he could have a skilled nurse in his home to help with wound care, medications, etc.
Complications
Even with the best medical treatments, complications can arise. For example, your dad had surgery and is warned about deep vein thrombosis. He needs to get up and be active. If it does happen, he will need to return to the hospital for emergency treatment.
After a stroke, your dad’s ability to swallow can be impacted. That increases the risk of aspiration pneumonia.
Ask About Skilled Nursing Care
Talk to your dad’s medical team about skilled nursing care at home. Skilled nursing care is a good way to keep him from going back to the hospital. His nurses can help with wound care, help with medication administration, and offer IV medications and therapies at home instead of sending him back to the hospital.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Skilled Nursing Care in Oyster Bay, NY please contact the caring staff at Brookville Homecare today. 516-802-7722
Sources:
https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb278-Conditions-Frequent-Readmissions-By-Payer-2018.jsp