HHS health IT challenge aims for better transitions
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
February 1, 2012
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) launched a Discharge Follow-Up Appointment challenge intended to improve care transitions during hospital discharges. The challenge is part of the Investing in Innovation (i2) Initiative, a program created by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to stimulate innovations in health IT.
The goal of the Discharge Follow-Up Appointment challenge is to encourage software developers to create technological processes and tools that will improve upon the manual system many hospitals rely on for scheduling follow-up appointments and post-discharge testing. According to HHS, scheduling such appointments prior to patient discharge makes care transitions safer and more effective.
Effective discharge and follow-ups may also help prevent patient readmissions within 30 days. Hospitals with the highest rates of readmission within 30 days can lose up to 3% of reimbursements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, effective October 2012.
Source: US Department of Health & Human Services
