Submitted by Grays Harbor Community Hospital
In October 2016, Grays Harbor Community Hospital (GHCH) entered into a trial relationship with CipherHealth, a healthcare technology company committed to improving patient outcomes and experiences through enhanced communication and care team coordination. Over this time period nurses and other hospital staff were trained on new methods to support their patients in their transition to the home environment.
This training resulted in a program that integrates post visit phone calls to patients with a recording of the patient’s discharge instructions and follow up care by their nurse. The service allows the patient to hear details of their discharge as well as giving them an opportunity to indicate if they need a follow-up phone call from a GHCH staff member to assist in a specific aspect of their care, such as access to medications, treatments or follow up care.
From Oct. 12, 2016 to Jan. 12, 2017 760 calls were made to patients in which 89 percent of those called were reached and offered assistance. If a patient indicated they needed assistance, hospital nursing staff called them back in an average of less than one hour and was able to resolve 177 issues. More than 70 percent of all patients reached said their voice call was helpful to their post-discharge care. The key outcomes of this trial indicated that those who answered and participated in the voice call system were 69 percent less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of discharge.
“With the overwhelming success of this program, GHCH will now be using this protocol with all patients discharged from our inpatient units – Medical, Surgical and Critical Care,” said Tom Jensen, CEO. “It is the hospital’s goal to communicate with all our patients in a manner in which supports them in a safe and healing transition home.”
For more information on CipherHealth, please visit www.ghcares.org.
