Pathways to Progress on Difficult Decisions in Post-Acute Care

Authors: Lynn Rogut, MCRP, Anne-Marie J. Audet, MD, MSc, SM 

The related press release can be viewed here.

This is the fourth and final report in UHF’s Difficult Decisions series, a year-long inquiry into how discharge planning can fall short despite well-intentioned efforts by hospital staff. It lays out the best practices, innovations, and policy levers that could help support New Yorkers who need to make decisions about post-acute care. Building on previous reports that explore the systemic challenges that make it hard for patients and families to access and sort through information that would be helpful when pressed to choose quickly, this report identifies various components of a multi-pronged approach that could help support decisions about post-hospital care. These approaches fall into several broad categories:

  • Engaging patients and families in discharge planning 
  • Improving the discharge planning process
  • Bridging silos to help promote informed decision-making
  • Addressing regulatory and payment policy barriers
  • Enhancing public information and transparency
  • Increasing public and professional awareness

The Difficult Decisions series was supported by the New York State Health Foundation. Other reports in the series look at the many factors that make informed decision-making about post-acute care so challenging; the experiences of patients and family caregivers; and the experiences of health care providers