To support communication between doctors and patients, UAB Medicine has deployed interactive post-discharge phone calls and corresponding multimedia programs that encourage patients’ additional learning about their health condition to improve care transitions and reduce readmission rates.
UAB Hospital Chief Quality Officer Benjamin Taylor, M.D., MPH, says transitioning from hospital to home is an important step during recovery, and proper monitoring paired with self-management is essential.
“We are focused on extending communication beyond the four walls of the hospital, to not only share valuable instructions but also monitor patient care,” Taylor said. “Being a part of our patients’ path to wellness doesn’t end when they leave our hospital.”
Personalized, automated phone calls deliver and reinforce necessary instructions, as well as collect data on patients’ status to ensure recovery is progressing. As people often also need the help of their family or friends, the calls and programs can be extended to other individuals whom the patient requests.
Simple language and compelling multimedia visuals accessible via computer or mobile device are used to make sense of complex medical information, and the programs and campaigns provide empathetic, understandable and actionable information to foster patient compliance and follow-through, as well as make care conversations more impactful.
| To support communication between doctors and patients, UAB Medicine has deployed interactive post-discharge phone calls and corresponding multimedia programs that encourage patients’ additional learning about their health condition to improve care transitions and reduce readmission rates. |
“As a national leader in patient experience, UAB recognizes that proactive outreach is a pillar of providing the highest-quality care,” said Devin Gross, CEO of Emmi Solutions, a leader in outcomes-driven patient engagement that collaborated with UAB on the initiative. “Beyond delivering recovery instructions, our call campaigns track patient feedback and facilitate targeted outreach, enabling UAB’s care staff to utilize their resources efficiently, reaching out to patients at risk for readmission who require intervention the most.”
UAB Medicine comprises the School of Medicine and the $3 billion UAB Health System that includes 2,300 licensed beds in six hospitals, one of which is UAB Hospital — the third-largest public hospital in the United States, winner of the Women’s Choice award, and one of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals.