Planning for Your Discharge and Continuing Care
Your treatment is complete, and your doctor determines you’re well enough to leave the hospital. Here’s what comes next.
Leaving the Hospital
- Ensure someone is available to take you home by 11 a.m. on the day of your physician-approved discharge.
- Your nurse will review with you the physician’s discharge instructions and your discharge medications before you leave.
- Clinical case managers — registered nurses or qualified social workers — may visit you to coordinate special needs such as home-care services, equipment and transfers to other facilities.
- Your doctor or nurse will also explain the follow-up care you will require and how to obtain it.
For questions or requests, call 916-734-7327 (4-7327 from a hospital phone).
The transitions of care program pairs our hospital clinicians with our community post-acute partners. Together, they provide our patients a continuity of care as they transition from hospital to home or other post-acute settings.
We strive to provide help to ensure you a safe transition from the hospital through a range of services, such as:
- Hospital evaluation before discharge
- Medication reconciliation pre- and post-discharge from the hospital
- Next-day visit by a Home Health nurse after discharge
- Assistance in administrative follow-up, such as securing follow-up appointments, establishing your primary care physician, securing wheelchairs and walkers, and other services
To find out more about our program and how you can receive these benefits, please contact us at TOC@groups.ucdavis.edu or call 916-716-0243.
You may receive a survey by mail or email asking about your stay. This is your opportunity to tell us what we’ve done well and what we can improve on. The survey is voluntary and completely confidential.
Our pharmacists are part of your health care team. UC Davis Medical Center operates several outpatient pharmacies, one of which is open seven days a week, including holidays.
You can have your prescriptions filled at the pharmacy of your choice, including ours. We can arrange to fill your discharge prescriptions at one of our on-site pharmacies so you can go home with your medications. We want you to know that:
- We stock hard-to-find and specialty medications
- We help make the most of your budget, working with insurance and physicians to find the least expensive, most effective medicines for you
- We accept most major prescription drug plans and coupons, vouchers and discount cards
Please present your prescription insurance information to pharmacy staff. You will be responsible for any co-payment, share of cost or other costs not covered by insurance.
Your nurse can assist with questions about our pharmacy services, and a pharmacist is always available if you have questions about your medications.
Discharge prescriptions are generally filled at the pavilion pharmacy near the main hospital entrance. Other pharmacies are located at the Cypress Building, Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center, Cancer Center and the Davis primary care office. Learn more about our pharmacy services.
Contact us at 916-703-6100 (3-6100 from a hospital phone).
Your provider may refer you to one of our specialty clinics for follow-up care after you are discharged from the hospital. Your insurance plan and other factors influence whether you pursue your appointment directly through UC Davis Health or an external community health care provider.
Our Consumer Resource Center at 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284) can assist with information about eligibility and the referral process. If your follow-up visit is at UC Davis Health, bring your insurance cards and be prepared to make co-payments.
Health education classes are available to our patients at various UC Davis Health locations. Our goal is to empower you to better manage your health. Most classes are free to UC Davis Health patients. For information, call 916-734-0718 or learn more from Health Education.
Home Health Services
When you need skilled medical care after returning home, your physician may refer you to Home Care Services or an agency of your choice. Home Care Services team members collaborate with physicians and other providers, delivering the highest level of patient-centered care for all ages.
They provide education and skills to enhance health, function and independence. An infusion therapy vendor works with home health services if you need infusion services.
For information, call 916-734-2458 (4-2458 from a hospital phone).
The UC Davis Hospice Program provides care for patients who are terminally ill and have a life expectancy of six or fewer months. Hospice provides comfort care focusing on pain and symptom management, case management and psychosocial and spiritual support. The care is patient centered and focuses on quality of life. Hospice care can take place at home, in a skilled nursing or assisted living facility or in the inpatient setting.
The UC Davis Hospice Program also provides individual and group bereavement support. UC Davis Hospice is a certified hospice program and accepts Medicare, Medi-Cal and most private insurance plans. For information, call 916-734-2458 (4-2458 from a hospital phone).
The UC Davis Inpatient Hospice program provides short-term inpatient care. This is for patients who need pain control and other end-of-life symptom management that cannot be provided in a lower level of care. A physician directs a team of nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides and other staff. This team is sensitive to the needs of those at the end of their life and their families. For information, call 916-734-2458 (4-2458 from a hospital phone).
The UC Davis Home-Based Palliative Care Program provides care to patients living with serious illness. It focuses on supporting patients’ and their caregivers’ physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Palliative care provides symptom management, quality of life and advance care planning while continuing medical treatment focused on the disease.
Our Palliative Care Program is honored to provide an experienced team of registered nurses, licensed clinical social workers, home health aides and chaplains who deliver compassionate care. The team also provides expert help navigating complex and difficult medical decisions. For information, call 916-734-2458 (4-2458 from a hospital phone).
Registered nurses provide 24-hour support for patients in the home health, palliative care and hospice programs.
MyUCDavisHealth
Patients who have established outpatient care with any UC Davis physician can use the free MyUCDavisHealth app and web portal to request appointments and more.