Discharge instruction mailings are post-care guidelines given to patients when they leave a healthcare facility. These instructions are critical to patient recovery and preventing rehospitalization. They also provide information regarding medications, treatments, and appointment follow-ups. 

Post-discharge communications must be shared clearly and concisely. In fact, studies have shown that patients who understood their post-hospital instructions were 30% less likely to be readmitted. The study also indicates that hospital staff have less than 80 seconds to communicate these instructions to patients verbally. Hence, they must rely on printed mailings for future care. 

This blog discusses the benefits of using direct mail automation for healthcare communications. It explores how the process empowers healthcare providers to meet strict timelines. It also helps avoid unintentional HIPAA violations and, most importantly, removes costly operational delays.

TL;DR

• Discharge instruction mailings are critical healthcare communications shared by providers. 
• Patient discharge communications are vital for post-care recovery and reducing readmissions. 
• Patient instruction mailings contain information about medications, aftercare, and appointments. 
• Automation can help reduce operational delays in sending discharge paperwork mailings. 

Key Takeaways

• Discharge instruction mailings contain essential safety tips and medical advice compiled by their doctors.
• Healthcare service providers are advised to share instructions within 24 to 36 hours of discharge.
• Automation improves operational efficiency, saves company costs, and enhances productivity.
• Delays in patient document delivery increase hospital admissions and diminish quality of life. 
• Discharge communications contain sensitive PHI that must be guarded in accordance with HIPAA rules.

Discharge instruction mailings are post-care letters given to patients, caregivers, or family members. These printed instructions help improve a patient's quality of life. 

Discharge instructions ease the transition from one facility to another or to a patient’s home. They provide a detailed schedule for the next physical check-ups, lab tests, or therapy sessions. 

The post-discharge communications contain explicit information, namely:

• Diagnoses
• Medicines
• Active alignments
• Wound care 
• Activity restrictions
• Dietary rules
• Warning health signs 
• Medical equipment and devices
• Emergency contact information

Who Is Responsible for Sharing Discharge Instruction Mailings?

Discharge instruction mailings require inter-team communication and collaboration. For example, discharge instructions are prepared and authorized by a physician or surgeon involved. However, registered nurses are responsible for explaining these instructions to patients at the time of discharge. Additionally, the medical administrative staff is responsible for healthcare mail services.
💡Also Read: Patient Statements Services

There are no legal or uniform timelines for sharing patient instruction mailings. Every hospital and healthcare provider follows their own timeframes. For instance, federal CMS Conditions of Participation require acute-care hospitals to provide discharge summaries and instructions within 30 days of discharge. Meeting these turnaround times helps prevent adverse post-discharge events and protects the provider's operational reputation.

Without proper post-discharge communications, patients may suffer. More importantly, orally transmitted instructions are risky. Patients may forget them, or may not be psychologically fit to understand them. 

Additionally, patients are more likely to miss health treatments or appointments. This increases the incidence of hospital readmissions and visits to the emergency department by patients. It also puts extreme financial strain on families. 

Here’s what healthcare providers can deliver with well-timed and written discharge document automation: 

1. Post-Admission Support: By providing written instructions to patients, healthcare professionals can save lives. Clear instructions provide patients with a recovery plan that includes medications, treatments, and important follow-ups. Written instructions help avoid confusion or medical negligence. 
2. Reduction in Readmissions: The primary goal of discharge paperwork mailings is to reduce medical errors and avoid preventable rehospitalizations. This helps protect the patient’s physical and financial health. Additionally, it helps safeguard a healthcare provider’s reputation.
3. Streamlined Insurance Claims: Discharge summaries and instructions are useful in streamlining insurance claims. These can be submitted as evidence to avoid insurance claim denials. 
4. Increased Visibility for Caregivers: Written instructions are care guides for family members and caregivers. With these instructions, caregivers can make necessary arrangements for the continued welfare of their patients.

💡Also Read: Patient Statement Template

Discharge instruction mailings contain sensitive medical information. By law, all healthcare providers are bound to protect this information from any unauthorized disclosure. If a company fails to comply with these rules, they are charged with hefty penalties. In severe cases, noncompliance can lead to expensive lawsuits. Thus, healthcare providers need to transmit this information through encrypted channels of communication.

With PostGrid, healthcare providers can protect patient information at rest and during transit. The Print & Mail software adheres to the HIPAA framework. They must also sign a Business Associate Agreement with print vendors that handle Protected Health Information (PHI). Furthermore, PostGrid provides end-to-end encryption, role-based access controls, and independent SOC 2 TYPE 2 audits to protect healthcare providers against financial liabilities. 

Studies have shown that 42% of patients receive incomplete discharge instructions. This impacts patient safety. It also reflects poorly on healthcare providers’ competency and undermines their credibility in the eyes of the patients. By adopting efficient workflows and compliant practices, hospitals can minimize these oversights.  

Leverage Multichannel Communications

When it comes to delivering instructions, hospitals should adopt a multichannel strategy rather than depending on one channel. For instance, they must send post-treatment instruction emails as well as instructions through mail. It improves engagement and trust in your service. It also gives patients complete access to their medical information.

Prioritize Simple Instructions 

Healthcare providers must draft the instruction letters in plain language. They must avoid using medical jargon or complicated sentences. All the information should be structured in a readable way so that patients can comprehend it and take charge of their care. In other words, all written medical mailings should be easy to read.

Visual Aids and Graphs

Healthcare providers also use visual imagery to instruct patients. Studies have shown that adding pictographs can improve patient comprehension of medical information as well as recall. Additionally, visual imagery helps patients who are illiterate or under medical stress understand information far more easily. 

Pair Written Material With Oral Instructions 

Staff members are encouraged to explain medical information to patients to improve comprehension. This step must be paired with written information so that there is no scope for misinterpretation. To avoid further confusion, caregivers should be present when verbal instructions are being given. 

Use the Patient’s Preferred Language 

Only 10% of patients fully understood all aspects of their discharge instructions. To ensure that all your patients comprehend all the information in these discharge letters, they must be in a language they understand. This is the most important step in ensuring patient care and longevity. In other words, all healthcare providers must provide accurate and clear information in a language the patients understand to avoid any regulatory risks or lawsuits. 

Healthcare providers can leverage physical mailings because they are an efficient and irrefutable proof of communication. Additionally, letters are viewed as a professional form of communication and are hard to overlook. Recipients who get letters are more likely to open them and follow their instructions. Moreover, tangible documents are easier to read and popular with all generations. Letter instructions are extremely useful for elderly patients or patients who may not be digitally savvy. 

To improve patient care and reduce unplanned readmissions, healthcare providers must adopt direct mail automation. PostGrid is one of the few HIPAA-compliant healthcare mail services that helps streamline print and mail delivery across the country. It eases operational burdens with specialized features:  

1. Seamless EHR Integrations: PostGrid’s Print & Mail API connects seamlessly with top Electronic Health Record systems like Epic, Cerner, and Meditech. This empowers staff members to initiate print and mail operations from within their existing workflows. This also eliminates the need for unsafe digital file transfers. 
2. Personalization at Scale: Healthcare providers can dynamically add patient-specific information such as unique medical data, dietary guidelines, and appointment follow-up dates with variable data printing technology. They can achieve customization at scale without manual intervention or editing each file individually.  
3. No Wasted Postage via Address Verification: Using PostGrid’s CASS-certified address verification, you can verify patient addresses automatically before any document is printed. This eliminates delivery failures and wasted postage. It also helps prevent PHI data leaks due to unauthorized disclosure and negligence. 
4. Enhance Operational Efficiency: Hospital staff members can focus on critical healthcare duties with automation. They can outsource administrative tasks like printing, storing, and mailing to PostGrid. This enhances productivity, eliminates manual errors, and improves job satisfaction.
5. Intelligent Print Routing: By georouting patient mailings to the nearest secure printing facility, teams can save money on shipping costs. It also helps reduce transit time and ensures every mail is delivered swiftly without any operational delay. 
6. End-to-End Tracking: With PostGrid, healthcare providers can track every mail piece in real-time. They can also generate proof of mailing and delivery using the dashboard and campaign analytics. This helps create documented evidence for routine compliance checks. 

Sign up now to automate discharge instruction mailings for patient welfare.