Discharge planners help patients leave the hospital and return home or to an alternate residence. They require medical knowledge and social work skills, and typically have a bachelor’s degree in social work or nursing. Some hospitals require a master’s degree in social work, and nurses may also work as discharge planners. Good communication skills and attention to detail are essential in this fast-paced environment.
A discharge planner helps plan, organize, and facilitate the release of an inpatient from a hospital to their home or alternate residence. Most discharge planners function as part of an acute care hospital’s utilization review team – the department responsible for justifying the medical necessity of a patient’s continued stay on the appropriate insurance carrier from admission to discharge. In the US, hospitals are required by law to have a department dedicated to discharge planning. This career requires medical knowledge and social work skills, and has two primary means of entry – social work or nursing – depending on the facility. Most people complete a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social work or nursing to become a discharge planner.
A bachelor’s degree in social work or nursing is the minimum educational preparation needed to get a job as a discharge planner. Students with this career in mind should anticipate investing a minimum of three to four years to complete degree requirements. Some hospitals require a greater degree of preparation in the form of a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) to become a discharge planner. A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) has successfully completed an MSW, clinical social worker supervised practice hours, and a licensing exam, as required by all US states. Significant investments in time, teaching, study, and clinical experience may be required to work as a discharge planner.
Some nurses also work as discharge planners. A registered nurse (RN) will usually become a discharge planner, working in their facility utilization review department and obtaining insurance company approvals of patient admissions. An RN Utilization Review or Medical Case Management RN is usually the staff member most familiar with a patient’s discharge condition and needs, having assessed the patient daily and communicated this information to the patient’s health insurance carrier. The process to become a discharge planner via this route requires successful completion of nursing school and US state licensure. A minimum period of actual clinical nursing experience, such as one year, may also be required.
Discharge planning is often carried out in a fast-paced environment and between the sometimes conflicting goals of the parties involved. Insurance company deadlines can exert considerable pressure on institutions to discharge patients within the reimbursement period. Sometimes, the doctor may find that the treatment time covered by the insurance is not enough and the patient is not medically ready for discharge. Families or patients often need the assurance of home health care, starting on the day of discharge. For all these reasons, good communication skills and attention to detail are absolutely necessary for anyone wanting to become a discharge planner.
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