Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Reduces Re-admissions by 58% using Email Approach to care Coordination
According to a recent study published in the American Journal of
Accountable Care, using an email-based approach to care coordination can not
only enhance outcomes as well as provider satisfaction, but can also have a profound
impact on readmissions.
Zuckerberg San Francisco General
Hospital as well as the University of California San Francisco Family Medicine
Inpatient Service, both part of the San Francisco Health Network, piloted a
secure e-mail system in a test in which around 1,300 patients participated
& started to get positive results during its second year.
Around 86 percent of outpatient
primary care doctors said that they have received discharge details within a
day or two, while around 82 percent said that the email system enhanced
communication with inpatient physicians. Another 72 percent said that
scheduling follow-ups became easier while a whopping 93 percent suggested that
all hospital services should adopt a similar care transition system.
As readmissions can be reduced by
nearly 58 percent if a patient follows up with primary care physician shortly
after discharge, physicians having this information will be able to lower cost
for the health system as well as improve patient quality. Currently the federal
government penalizes hospitals financially if they do not meet certain
readmissions-related standards.
According to the researchers, the email-based solution is also
cost-effective as it does not need any expensive or complicated technologies or
extensive training. What is does is provide an electronic record that the
providers in each setting can monitor.
The benefit to patients, for now, is
an increased ability to understand the INS & outs of post-discharge care,
as well as better patient satisfaction & a more streamlined process.
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