What To Do When The Hospital Wants To Discharge You Too Soon

A client of mine had hip surgery at 7 a.m., a blood transfusion that afternoon, and by 9 p.m. the hospital was telling us there was no bed for her and she needed to move to a facility. She only stayed because she had three advocates in her corner, and this episode is about what those advocates actually do.

Frank asks me how the discharge process really works, and I walk through it start to finish: the social worker conversation after surgery, how your insurance narrows which rehab facilities you can even choose from, and what happens when nobody in the room is asking questions on your behalf. I talk about a woman who called me the day before her surgery because the hospital had just told her she could not have the procedure unless someone was going home with her, with no warning and no plan. I get into picking a facility, why a five star rating can turn into a three star experience once you see the room, and how I got a client moved to a better roommate situation by going straight to the facility social worker. And I share the time we fought to keep a client in the ICU for eight days because her heart condition mattered more than the hip she came in for. Some of this you can prepare for. Some of it happens in a second at the beach with a broken foot and an ambulance ride. Either way, the people who do best are the ones who walk in with their questions written down.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome and the question about early discharge

0:27 Hip surgery, a blood transfusion, and a 9 p.m. discharge push

1:32 How the discharge process actually works

2:21 A client calls the day before her surgery with no plan

3:21 What makes someone a good advocate

4:07 Choosing a rehab facility and what star ratings hide

5:04 The roommate problem and how we fixed it

8:35 Three questions to ask before you are discharged

10:07 Eight days in the ICU and why we pushed for it

12:45 Write your questions down and send yours in

KEY TAKEAWAYS

After surgery you will talk to a social worker and a discharge planner. Their job includes freeing that bed, so know that going in.

If you have a caregiver, family member, or agency to go home with, home is usually an option. If not, your insurance decides which rehab facilities are on your list.

An advocate does not need medical training. They need to be willing to ask the doctor and the nurse direct questions while you are still groggy.

Ask how many days you are expected to stay, when you are being discharged, and what has to happen before you can go home or to rehab.

A high star rating does not guarantee a private room or a quiet one. Once you are in the building, the facility social worker is who you talk to about changing it.

You can advocate to stay longer when a second condition is the real concern, but it depends on the discharge planner and how full the hospital is that week.

QUOTES

"How could she have surgery on her hip, a blood transfusion, and you want to move her from the hospital to a facility?" - Lindsay

"When you're in a hospital and being discharged, it can go awry within five seconds." - Lindsay

"I think they need to know how to ask the right questions." - Lindsay

"How many days do you think I will be here? Because that's going to give the person your advocate time to find care for you." - Lindsay

"Don't let them just tell you where you're leaving." - Lindsay

If this one gave you language for your next hospital conversation, send it to someone with a surgery on the calendar. Questions about home health care, hospital stays, discharge, or hospice go straight into the show. #HospitalDischarge

Website: findinghomecare.net

Company: Finding Home Care LLC, over 151 five star reviews

Listen: Spotify and Apple, new episodes every two weeks

LISTENER QUESTIONS

What is the one question you wish you had asked before you or a family member left the hospital?

If you live alone, who is on your list to call the day before a scheduled surgery?