Readmission rates for patients in rural areas of San Diego County have increased at La Mesa, Calif.-based Sharp Grossmont Hospital, but those rates were reduced by 10% for patients enrolled in a new program, KPBS reported June 4.
The Rural Health Discharge Program utilizes San Diego County public health nurses and firefighters to visit and support residents in rural towns who were recently released from Sharp Grossmont. The program launched in June 2023 as a collaboration between several healthcare organizations, the fire department and the county's Health and Human Services agency. To qualify, patients must be released from Sharp Grossmont and live in one of nine rural ZIP codes.
Many of the patients live 50 to 60 miles from the closest hospital, which makes it difficult for them to receive follow up care. The new program allows a team to monitor patients for up to 30 days post-discharge and resolve any at-home issues, such as replacing fire alarms and cutting grass to prevent falls.
Since June, they have visited 150 patients. About 40% of eligible discharge patients enrolled in the program. Those who enrolled had a readmission rate of 4% compared to 14% for those who did not enroll.