2.5.02 Discharge from hospital treatment

Goal and purpose

Description of the measures that must be taken when patients are discharged from inpatient treatment.

Area of application

Description of the

The hospital ensures standardised discharge management in multidisciplinary cooperation.
● The hospital informs patients in writing about discharge management and obtains written consent.
● Under the responsibility of the hospital doctors, the "patient's individual requirements for follow-up care are to be determined as early as possible" and a discharge plan drawn up "through the use of a suitable assessment".
● If a need for follow-up care is identified in the hospital as part of the assessment, "early contact is made with the continuing care provider".
● As soon as a "patient-related need" for support from the health insurance fund is identified, the hospital contacts the fund "in good time". The same applies if "services requiring authorisation" are planned after discharge.
● On discharge, the patient receives a discharge letter containing, among other things, a telephone number that the doctor providing further treatment can use to make enquiries.
● The services prescribed as part of discharge management are subject to the economic efficiency requirement, compliance with which is checked by the auditing bodies of the health insurance funds at state level and the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
● Only hospital doctors who have completed specialist training may prescribe.
● The hospital receives an "establishment number" from the responsible Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, which can be used to "clearly" allocate the services ordered. By 1 January 2019 at the latest, hospital doctors should also receive their own number to which a prescription can be assigned.
● If patients who are taking at least three medicines are discharged with a medication, they receive a medication plan.
● The hospital ensures the exchange of information with the doctors providing further treatment, holds discussions with these doctors "in good time before discharge if necessary" and arranges a "prompt appointment" with a GP or specialist providing further treatment for patients with complex treatment needs.

Documentation

Resources

Responsibility and qualification

Notes and comments

Applicable documents

Literature

German Medical Journal | Vol. 114 | Issue 50 | 15 December 2017 A 2381

Framework agreement on discharge management during the transition to care after hospital treatment in accordance with Section 39 (1a) sentence 9 SGB V (framework agreement on discharge management) dated 17 October 2016 (PDF, 215 KB)
Annex 1a to the Discharge Management Framework Agreement (patient information); will be replaced by Annex 1a of the 2nd Amendment Agreement to the Discharge Management Framework Agreement (PDF, 81 KB)
Annex 1b to the Discharge Management Framework Agreement (Patient's Declaration of Consent); to be replaced by Annex 1b of the 2nd Amendment Agreement to the Discharge Management Framework Agreement (PDF, 88 KB)
Annex 2 to the Discharge Management Framework Agreement (Technical Annex) (PDF, 228 KB)

Terms

Attachments