PATIENT INFORMATION
Preparing to go home
Preparing to leave the hospital
Leaving the hospital is often a welcome relief, regardless of the length of your stay or the reason for your visit. At Regions Hospital, we want you to be ready to make your way home or to a care facility in the safest and most convenient way possible. From hospital to home, we want to prepare you to continue your healing process after you leave us. Here’s what you should know when preparing to leave Regions Hospital.
When will you leave the hospital?
The length of your stay depends on why you’re here. For example, a planned surgery may mean you go home in a few days. But an unplanned visit, like for an unexpected medical event, might mean tests, observation and extra care.
Your care team will have ongoing communication with you. We’ll do our best to estimate when you’ll be discharged and discuss this with you daily. Our goal is to safely discharge you when you’re medically cleared by your care team.
To make sure you have enough time to transition out of the hospital, we’ll work to discharge you early in the day. This helps provide you with enough time to pick up prescriptions, supplies, equipment and items you may need at home.
Our role in your discharge
Our role is to ensure you have the information you need to transition from the hospital safely. Your care team will give you written instructions and talk through them with you. Your discharge instructions and accompanying materials include:
- Diet instructions
- Fall prevention at home
- Follow-up appointments
- Medication list and instructions
- Safety instructions
- Signs and symptoms to look for
- Phone number(s) for follow-up questions
- When to return to normal activities
Your role as a patient in your discharge
Partner with your care team to:
- Ask daily about your anticipated discharge date and time
- Ensure all your questions are answered
- Inform them of arrangements you’ve made for your transportation from the hospital
- Tell them where you’d like your discharge medications filled
- Understand all resources that you may need after your hospitalization
- Get help from family or friends to purchase necessary supplies – such as dressings, medical equipment and groceries – that you’ll need at home
Before you leave, check out at the front desk in the area where you received care.
Filling your prescriptions
When you leave the hospital, you may need to take medicine to aid in the healing process or to help manage pain. You can fill your prescriptions at our pharmacy and pick them up before you leave. Or if you have a preferred pharmacy, you may get your prescriptions filled there at your convenience.
Transportation for your hospital discharge
You can have a friend or family member drive you home. Please make these arrangements for transportation prior to your day of discharge. If medical transportation is required, we’ll arrange it for you.
Your insurance provider may cover the cost, depending on the type of transport required. If you aren’t sure what your insurance covers, call the number of the back of your card.