Creative discharge planning using the electronic medical record.

A multidisciplinary continuous quality improvement (CQI) team at the authors' facility was commissioned and empowered to study and improve communication among the disciplines involved in discharge planning. CQI methods and tools were applied to analyze the process and determine the improvement. The authors of this article describe the use of a customized electronic medical record system to deliver accurate, rapid technology (DART) at their facility. DART was programmed to improve communication among the disciplines by assisting with the referral process. In addition, users are systematically prompted throughout the discharge process to ensure that all aspects are considered and documented.