Check in before you check out of a hospital

Hospitals cannot reduce readmission rates on their own. Success will depend on a coordinated approach involving primary-care doctors, pharmacists, an improved system of electronic health records and, perhaps most important, patients themselves.

There are several simple but vital steps that patients should follow before and after leaving the hospital:

• Make sure you understand your diagnosis, and what was done to you.

• Know whom to follow up with (physical therapist, your regular doctor, a nurse, etc.).

• Schedule a follow-up appointment with your regular doctor before leaving the hospital; make sure to see him or her soon after discharge.

• Ask your hospital doctor to communicate with your regular doctor.

• Go over every medication on your discharge list with your doctor or nurse. Compare those drugs with medications you were taking before you entered the hospital to ensure there are no duplications or dangerous interactions.

• Get contact information for any questions or problems you might have after discharge.

• Ask about what to expect during your recovery and what symptoms to look for should something go wrong.

• If some test results are pending, make sure you know how to obtain the results.

• Before you sign your discharge summary, make sure you understand everything. Ask someone — a nurse, a doctor, a social worker — to explain it to you.

• Bring a copy of your discharge summary to your follow-up appointment.

All of this increases the odds that, when you leave the hospital after surgery or illness, you won't be coming back again soon. The health care system will save money, and you'll be able to undertake your recovery, in your own bed, at home. And who wouldn't prefer that?