Acute Care Hospitalizations
Patients may need to go into the hospital while they are getting care. In some instances, this may not be avoidable even with good home healthcare. Acute care hospitalization may be avoided if the home health staff adequately checks the patient's health condition at each visit to detect problems early. Staff must also assess the patient's ability to eat, drink, take medication, and be safe in their home. They should also coordinate patient care by regular communication with patients, informal caregivers, doctors, and other care providers. Improvement in acute care hospitalization is demonstrated by a decrease in the percentage of patients who had to be admitted to the hospital. Lower percentages are better.