More than 30 million people are admitted to hospitals each year in the United States. According to recent reports from the medical sector, about 15 percent of those are readmissions, which means patients are admitted again for issues related to the same conditions they were originally hospitalized for. Efforts are underway to reduce readmission rates. Providing the highest possible level of care and upholding patients’ rights when it comes to treatments and readmissions play significant roles here.
Right to Understand Treatments
For one, patients have a right to fully understand their treatments, and care providers have a responsibility to make that happen. That applies to the medications patients receive while they’re in the hospital, any other treatments they’re given, and any care they may need after they leave the hospital. Being sure patients fully understand their treatments and why they’re important is one of the keys to preventing hospital readmissions.
At the same time, patients have the right to ask, and receive answers to, any questions they need to better understand their treatments. This, alone, can foster patients’ wellbeing while also reducing readmission rates. When patients are readmitted, they have a right to ask about the reasons their original treatments didn’t prevent them from needing to go back to the hospital and which further treatments they’ll be receiving to reduce the risk of needing yet another readmission in the future.
Right to Proper Discharge Planning
Additionally, patients have the right to receive thorough discharge planning before leaving the hospital. That entails providing comprehensive information about the medications they need to take after leaving the hospital, such as what they’re for and how to take them. It also includes scheduling follow-up appointments or giving patients the resources they need to make those appointments themselves. It may involve arranging for in-home care for patients, transitional support, and other measures to ensure patients receive the care and treatments they need after being hospitalized.
Right to Appeal Premature Discharges
Patients also have the right to appeal if they feel they’re being discharged from the hospital too soon. If patients appeal, hospitals can’t discharge them during the process, and they must continue to provide all necessary care until a ruling is made. This right protects patients and empowers them to be proactive in their own care. It can help reduce the risk of complications after discharges and the need for readmissions. If a patient’s appeal is approved, his or her Medicare or insurance will continue to cover the cost of care until the eventual release.
Right to Fair and Equal Treatment
Furthermore, patients have the right to be treated fair and equally when admitted to the hospital. That means hospitals can’t discriminate against patients with frequent readmissions. Per Medicare directives and other regulations, hospitals with high readmission rates can be penalized under certain circumstances. That, in turn, often causes them to discriminate against patients who need to be readmitted. It may also lead them to discriminate against patients who are at a higher risk of readmissions, such as those with heart failure, diabetes, and septicemia. Laws are in place to protect patients against that type of unfair treatment, and hospitals are required to inform them of those rights.
Upholding Patients’ Rights and Preventing Readmissions
Patients have certain rights when it comes to medical care and hospitalizations. They have a right to understand their treatments through thorough explanations from care providers. They have a right to receive proper discharge planning and to appeal their discharges if they feel they’re premature. Patients also have a right to fair and equal treatment regardless of their medical conditions, readmission rates, and other factors. Providing a high level of care and addressing the full range of patient needs can help reduce hospital readmission rates while also upholding patients’ rights and keeping them healthy.