Identifying Barriers and Improving the Discharge Process at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia

New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia (NYP Columbia) serves the tri-state area and is recognized as a world leader in health care. The Nursing Operations Department requested a Capstone team to evaluate the operations of five medical-surgical units in an effort to identify barriers to the discharge process and suggest improvements. The primary focus of the evaluation consisted of retrospective review of chart data from January 2013 to June 2013. The Capstone team also conducted on-site unit observations, met with department heads and barrier reduction teams, and reviewed best practices in organizations with similar patient populations and organizational structures. The team then produced a report of findings and recommendations to assist NYP Columbia in reducing existing barriers to discharge and develop future quality improvement initiatives.