A recent program based in North Carolina indicates that a meeting with nurse practitioners prior to discharge could not only improve communication between the hospital staff and primary care providers but also ease the transition after hospitalization.

This program, located at Kernersville Primary Care and piloted by nurse practitioner, Katie Wingate, examined ten patients that underwent a three-step discharge process. Of all the patients, not a single one was readmitted to the hospital within the 30 days of discharge.

Essentially the nurse practitioners would review patient charts, answer any questions and discuss a formal plan and process for the following weeks. A follow-up appointment would also be scheduled approximately seven to 14 days after discharge. Ultimately, this program can hopefully expand to other hospitals to lessen the chance of readmission after discharge.

Although the results look promising, clinicians are still stridently divided on this issue. This is because some advanced practitioner nurses have been provided as a solution to the physician shortage being witnessed within the healthcare industry. Despite your preference on the issue, the results from this medical group do produce positive results that may be further utilized in the future to ease the shift for patients from hospitalization to primary care.

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