Discharge Planning

Even before you arrive at Rehabilitation Hospital, you are assigned a case manager. Your history is reviewed and evaluated, so by the time you arrive at Rehab Hospital we will have already formed preliminary plans for discharge. This planning may include identifying and prequalifying vendors of adaptive equipment (such as crutches, walkers, oxygen, etc.) and outpatient and home care providers (physical therapy, visiting nurse services, speech therapy, etc.) as well as other community referrals.

As you progress through rehabilitation, we constantly re-evaluate your abilities and functional limitations to identify what services you will need once you are discharged. 

By the time you are ready to be discharged, you will have progressed in your rehabilitation and will have answered some important questions about the future. All decisions regarding discharge planning (as with all aspects of your care) are reviewed and discussed by the entire care team. Physicians, nurses, therapists, case managers as well as you and your family work together to make the most appropriate decisions.

To adequately evaluate your ability to function in an independent setting, we may offer a brief stay in our transitional living apartment. There you will be assessed for simple homemaking tasks and self-care abilities.

Before discharge, our team members may provide you with exercises and other helpful information that will assist you in continuing rehabilitation after you leave. Our case managers will locate resources in your community that will be able to provide key services once you're home. And we may point you toward other community organizations you might want to explore.

It is our goal to ensure that you are in an appropriate, safe environment once you leave our facility. If you have any questions about discharge planning, talk with your case manager.

The Discharge Process

Even before you arrive at Rehabilitation Hospital, we are actively planning your discharge. Our case managers locate resources in your community that will be able to provide key services once you're home. This may include visiting nurses, outpatient therapy services and community referrals.

Steps to keep in mind as you prepare for discharge:

• Your physician will prepare and sign your discharge papers.
• If your rehabilitation team recommends follow-up treatment, either outpatient or home health care, you can choose the Rehabilitation Hospital's outpatient therapy services or the Lutheran Health Network affiliated home health care provider. You may already be aware of other providers you would like to use or your physician may recommend a specific provider. Either way, the decision is yours.
• Prior to discharge, your family may be given a specific time to come in for a training session that may take several hours to complete.
• On the day of discharge, we will schedule a follow-up appointment with your primary care physician and notify your physician that you have been discharged.
• Before leaving, please check your room carefully to be sure that you are not leaving anything. Take all your personal belongings and your special equipment. Return all items that belong to the hospital. Don't forget to take your education binder home.
• If your home mailing address has changed since admission, please inform the admissions coordinator before you leave.
• Periodically during your stay, we will submit a claim to your insurance carrier or Medicare. You will be billed for your deductible or co-payment. If you have met the deductible for Medicare and are within the first 60 days of coverage, you may not receive a bill, depending on the services you have utilized. If you have any questions about your bill, please contact Patient Accounts Customer Service at (260) 479-3550.