Returning to the hospital after you have been treated and released is costly and in many cases, avoidable.

-Team@CMHF

• Patients return to the hospital for many reasons.
• Sometimes, they catch a new bug while hospitalized or they fail to manage their diseases properly after their release.
• The biggest culprits are chronic diseases such as congestive heart failure, heart disease, asthma, emphysema and substance abuse, experts say.
• Depending on your insurance, a stay can eat into your deductible or rack up out-of-pocket expenses.
• Most individuals with commercial insurance (not Medicare or government plans) have a $500 to $1,000 hospital co-pay, according to Eric A Coleman, director of the Care Transitions program at the University of Colorado, which helps patients move between different settings.
• Then there’s the time you or a caregiver need to take off work to deal with a hospitalization, or the expense from changes to your medication regimen.
• Of course, in many cases, the hospital is the best place to be.
• Some re-admissions represent good care that we don’t want to prevent, says Nancy Foster, vice president of quality and patient safety at the American Hospital Association.
• However, if you have been successfully treated and released, here are some tips to help keep you recovering at home and keep your medical bills down.
• Avoid going: Sometimes when you are sick and scared, heading to the ER is the first thing that comes to mind.
• But often, urgent-care clinics or even your primary-care provider can be more appropriate places depending on your condition, says Dr Coleman.
• For instance, confusion over medications, high blood pressure or diabetes management can be handled in a clinic or doctor’s office.
• They might be more willing to treat you and let you go home, he says, adding that an ER visit might last four to eight hours while an urgent-care visit can last one to two hours.
• But Dr Coleman adds that things like chest pain, trouble breathing or sudden change in mental status should be treated in the ER.
• Manage your medications: Keep an accurate medication list with you wherever you go.
• That will help avoid errors in the hospital and once you get home, says Pat Rutherford, vice president at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
• Some heart medications, for instance, can keep patients from going back to the hospital if taken correctly, says Gregg Fonarow, professor of cardiovascular medicine at UCLA.
• Some patients have 14 medications. They have to get these completely right to avoid hospitalization they need to be aware of dosing, time of day and changes to the regimen.
• Bring support. It’s hard for patients to take in exactly what is expected of them upon discharge.
• Hospitals try to offer tons of information in the last 11 minutes, and it’s hard to process in a way that’s useful, says Dr Coleman.
• Having a family member, friend or other advocate with you when you are discharged can help you understand the doctor’s instructions.
• Ask what symptoms you should watch for and what steps you should take if symptoms come back, says Ms. Rutherford.
• Follow up. Book a checkup with your doctor sooner rather than later. Prepare for the visit with the doctor by having a list of questions ready. Make sure to ask them at the beginning of the visit, says Dr. Coleman.
• Eat right. Managing your diet can be almost as important as your medications for treating chronic conditions, says Ms. Foster.
• Also, some medications don’t interact well or lose their effectiveness when taken with certain foods. That can lead symptoms to flare up and land you in the hospital again.

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