Once the patient’s episode of care is complete, you can discharge the patient. After the patient has been discharged, you’ll also need to close the patient chart.
Discharge a Patient
There are two ways to discharge a patient, let’s review.
Information Tab
The simplest way to discharge a patient is to add a discharge date to their information tab.
- Navigate to the Information tab of the patient’s chart.
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Click Edit Patient.
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Scroll to the Discharge/Transition Date field and select the discharge date and time.
Transfer/Discharge Tab
Some users may not have the permission (Edit Facesheet) to discharge the patient using the above workflow. In this instance, you can add a Discharge Summary note to the Transfer/Discharge Tab to discharge the patient.
Note: The name of this tab is customizable, so it may have a different name in your instance.
- Navigate to the patient chart and select the Transfer/Discharge tab.
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Click Add form.
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Select Discharge Summary.
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Click on the Edit icon.
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Enter the Date of Discharge.
- Complete the discharge summary note.
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When done, click Sign & Submit.
Note: If you have any active medication orders (or any other active items) present on a chart when you discharge it, they will be canceled. If the patient is readmitted (even if they are readmitted later on the same day) you will have to recreate these medications from scratch.
Locating Discharged Patients
Once a patient is discharged, they will no longer appear in the census. You can find them via search or by clicking on the Chart Audit button.
Closing a Patient Chart
Once a patient is discharged and all outstanding documentation is complete, you can close their chart. Click here for instructions.