results are included in the patient’s medical record and are used in the development of the features of the discharge plan.
(7) 482.43(c) Standard: Discharge Plan - A registered nurse, social worker, or other appropriately qualified personnel must develop, or supervise the development of, a discharge plan if the discharge planning evaluation indicates a need for a discharge plan.
Interpretive Guidelines:
§482.43(c)(1)
The discharge plan that is based on the findings of the discharge planning evaluation must be developed by a registered nurse, social worker, or other appropriate qualified personnel, or by a person who is supervised by such personnel. State law governs the qualifications required to be considered a registered nurse or a social worker. The hospital’s written discharge planning policies and procedures must specify the qualifications for personnel other than registered nurses or social workers who develop or supervise the development of the plan.
The qualifications should include such factors as previous experience in discharge planning, knowledge of clinical and social factors that affect the patient’s functional status at discharge, knowledge of community resources to meet post-discharge clinical and social needs, and assessment skills. All personnel performing or supervising development of discharge plans, including registered nurses and social workers, must have knowledge of clinical, social, insurance/financial and physical factors that must be considered when evaluating how a patient’s expected post-discharge care needs can be met.
The hospital CoP governing patients’ rights at §482.13(b) provides that “The patient has the right to participate in the development and implementation of his or her plan of care.” (CMS views discharge planning as part of the patient’s plan of care). “The patient or his/her representative (as allowed under State law) has the right to make informed decisions regarding his/her care” and “The patient’s rights include being involved in care planning and treatment.” Accordingly, hospitals are expected to engage the patient, or the patient’s representative, actively in the development of the discharge plan, not only to provide them the necessary education and training to provide self-care/care, but also to incorporate the patient’s goals and preferences as much as possible into the plan. A patient will be more likely to cooperate in the implementation of a discharge plan that reflects his/her preferences, increasing the likelihood of a successful care transition and better health outcomes.
A patient’s goals and preferences may be, in the hospital’s view, unrealistic. A hospital is not obligated to develop a discharge plan that cannot be implemented. However, the fact that a plan incorporating the patient’s goals and preferences might be more time-consuming for the hospital to develop and implement than another alternative does not make the patient’s preferred plan unrealistic