SMH offers ticket home

NORWAY — Being in the hospital can be a traumatic event for both patients and families. Stephens Memorial Hospital recognizes that once a patient is discharged from the hospital, although the stay may be over, the care continues.

In order to assist patients and families and continue to provide excellent care, they are excited to announce the "My Ticket Home" program.

Starting in August, all patients discharged from Stephens Memorial Hospital meet with one of the Patient Care Facilitators to discuss the care they received and their health condition. Patients fill out their “Ticket Home” throughout their hospital stay.

At discharge all sections are reviewed with the patient to make sure they understand what role they play in maintaining their health. "My Ticket Home" is a personalized trifold that is specific to each patient and provides a summary of their health condition, information on the treatment they received while in the hospital and any follow up recommendations.

Patients are asked to keep it accessible (on their refrigerator) so they can quickly refer to this information. "My Ticket Home" will be a resource for patients and help them better manage their health at home.

There has been a lot of positive patient feedback since rolling out the program. Patients are getting the information they need to understand their health condition, a summary of changes that they need to make to stay healthy, signs to watch for once they are home and most importantly, the knowledge they need to manage their care once they leave the hospital.