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Hospital Discharge

Case Management

"They told me what to expect when I got home. It made me feel a lot less worried about the transition."
- Stanley Traverse,  cardiac patient

The department of case management is available to help make plans for your return home and can coordinate home health care services if necessary. Case managers can assist with your transfer to a rehabilitation program or nursing home if needed. They can also help coordinate your home medical equipment needs and arrange for visiting nursing services.

Case management staff may meet with you and your family to discuss your wishes and work with your health care team to prepare you and your family for discharge from the hospital. If you haven't met with a case manager you can call 401-793-2070 (internally dial ext. 3-2070) to discuss your needs.

We have information on community and state agencies and other support services and can help determine if you are eligible for assistance.

It is our belief and our policy that you should participate fully in the decisions regarding your care, both while you are here and when you are discharged. Our goal is to ensure that you receive the best care and that your needs and choices are respected by our physicians, nurses, case managers and support staff.

Filling Your Prescription

When your nurse is reviewing your discharge instructions, make sure you can read the names of all medicines prescribed for you. If necessary, ask the doctor to print the name of the drug and its purpose on the prescription. Ask if a generic brand is appropriate. Ask for information about your medicine in terms you can understand.

When you leave the hospital and pick up your medicine at your pharmacy, remember to:

  • Ask if this is the medicine your doctor ordered.
  • Inform your pharmacist of any allergies and other medicines, vitamins and/or dietary supplements you are currently taking.
  • Make sure that you understand the directions on the prescription label.
  • Ask for written information about the possible side effects.
  • Ask for a device to measure liquid medicines, if appropriate.
  • Be sure to discard any outdated medicine.

Follow-Up Care

If your physician recommends follow-up care after you are discharged, it is your right to choose the provider of these services. You may decide to continue to receive care through other Lifespan affiliates:

Rehabilitation services:

  • Southern New England Rehabilitation Center: 401-456-4500
  • The Center for Cardiac Fitness:
    401-528-8500
  • Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center:
    401-845-1845

Other hospitals:

  • Bradley Hospital:
    401-432-1000
  • Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children's Hospital: 401-444-4000
  • Newport Hospital:
    401-846-6400

We understand that you may be familiar with another provider or have a preferred provider based on your insurance plan. Our case management staff will give you a list of licensed and/or certified health care providers in the state in which you reside and assist with your selection. Because we are unfamiliar with the practices of the providers on the resource list, we cannot make any recommendations.

If you have any questions, please call a case manager at 401-793-2070 (internally dial ext. 3-2070).

Billing procedures and insurance information

Discharge Policy
To prepare for other patients being admitted, we ask that you plan to depart in the morning of the day you expect to go home. Your physician should have already informed your nurses and completed your records in preparation for your discharge.

You cannot be discharged until your physician completes the necessary medical records. On occasion, we do experience a delay in the discharge process; however, we request that a family member or friend is prepared to pick you up in the morning.

If you have any questions, please call a case manager at 401-793-2070 (internally dial ext. 3-2070).