Which two indicators best reflect successful discharge coordination?

• A. Length of stay and bed availability
• B. Medication cost
• C. Patient age and gender
• D. 30-day readmission rate and timely follow-up

Answer: (D)

Discharge coordination hinges on ensuring a seamless transition from hospital care to the next setting, with steps that link inpatient treatment to outpatient follow-up. The two indicators that best reflect this are the 30-day readmission rate and whether follow-up with a clinician happens promptly after discharge. A lower 30-day readmission rate suggests the discharge plan effectively managed medical needs, medications, and safety concerns so the patient stays well after leaving the hospital. Timely follow-up shows the care team successfully connected the patient with outpatient services, arranged the next appointment, and confirmed that any tests or home-care needs are addressed, which reduces gaps in care. Together, these capture both the outcome of the discharge process and the quality of the handoff to ongoing care. Those other measures—length of stay and bed availability—are about hospital operations and resource use, not how well discharge is coordinated; medication cost relates more to affordability than the coordination of care after discharge; and patient age and gender do not reflect how effectively discharge planning is carried out.