Patient information on discharge management

according to § 39 para. 1a SGB V

What is discharge management about?

• Patients are discharged from hospital at the end of their hospital treatment. In certain cases, however, further support is required after the end of hospital treatment in order to secure the treatment outcome. Appropriate follow-up care can include, for example, medical or nursing care that is provided on an outpatient basis or in inpatient rehabilitation or Nursing facilities. However, this follow-up care may also include, for example, making appointments with physicians, physiotherapists, care services or self-help groups, as well as support in applying for benefits from the health or care insurance fund. The hospital is legally obliged to prepare for the patient's discharge from hospital. The aim of discharge management is to organize seamless follow-up care for patients. To this end, the hospital determines whether and which medical or nursing measures are required following hospital treatment and initiates these measures during the inpatient stay. If it is necessary for the immediate follow-up care after the hospital stay, medicines, remedies, aids, sociotherapy and home nursing care can also be prescribed to a limited extent or the inability to work can be determined. If necessary, discharge management is also supported by the health/care insurance fund. Patients are informed and advised about all discharge management measures by the hospital. All planned measures are coordinated with them. If the patients so wish, their relatives or caregivers will be involved in the information and consultations.

Why is a declaration of consent required?

• The law stipulates that patients must give their consent in written or electronic form for discharge management to be carried out and for support to be provided by the health/care insurance fund. As part of discharge management, it may be necessary for the hospital to contact, for example, physicians, medical aid providers (e.g. physiotherapists or occupational therapists) or suppliers of medical aids and/or the patient's health or long-term care insurance fund. It may then be necessary to transmit the patient data to these parties for this purpose. However, this requires the patient's written or electronic consent. This can be done by means of the attached declaration of consent, with which patients can declare their consent to discharge management and the associated data transfer as well as to the support of discharge management by the health/nursing care insurance fund and the associated data transfer. Discharge management by "agents" outside the hospital Hospitals can transfer discharge management tasks to registered physicians or Facilities or Institutions or authorized physicians or Facilities. The legislator has provided for this possibility. If this form of discharge management is specifically considered for any necessary follow-up care, patients will be informed separately and asked for their consent.

You do not wish to make use of discharge management?

• Consent is voluntary. If patients do not want discharge management and/or do not want the health/nursing care insurance fund to provide support, they do not give their consent. If discharge management is not carried out despite an existing need, this may result in follow-up measures not being initiated or starting in time. In the case of applications for benefits from the health/nursing care insurance funds, a later application may mean that the entitlement to benefits only arises at a later date.

Do you want to revoke consent that has already been given?

• If patients have already consented to discharge management in writing or electronically but wish to withdraw their consent, they can do so in writing or electronically at any time without giving reasons.
• If the revocation relates to the implementation of discharge management as a whole, they declare their complete revocation to the hospital.
• If the revocation relates solely to consent to the support of discharge management by the health/care insurance fund, they shall declare their revocation in writing to the health/care insurance fund and the hospital.
• However, the revocation shall only apply from the date on which it is received by the hospital or the health/nursing care insurance fund. It has no retroactive effect. The processing of your data up to this point in time remains lawful. Depending on the revocation, no discharge management can be carried out despite an existing need or this cannot be supported by the health/nursing care insurance fund. This may mean that follow-up measures may not be initiated or begin in good time. In the case of applications for benefits from health or long-term care insurance funds, a later application may mean that an entitlement to benefits only arises at a later date.

Examples of Appendix 1a and 1b