---
title: "What Is Discharge planning? Home Care Glossary | HomeCare.com"
description: "Discharge planning is the process a hospital, nursing home or other facility uses to prepare a patient to leave. Staff review needs, medicines, equipment..."
url: https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/discharge-planning/
publisher: HomeCare.com
phone: 800-974-3458
start: https://care.homecare.com/?source=homecare.com
---

Care process

# Discharge planning

Discharge planning is the process a hospital, nursing home or other facility uses to prepare a patient to leave. Staff review needs, medicines, equipment and where care will happen next. The patient and caregiver are part of the planning team.

## Why it matters for your family

Start early. Medicare's discharge planning checklist tells patients and caregivers to ask about where they will get care, whether options like home health exist and whether medical equipment is needed and covered. It also covers drug lists, help with bathing, dressing, cooking and rides to appointments. Ask for written instructions. Caregivers should ask about training for tasks that need special skills. A common mistake is to wait until the day of discharge. Ask the social worker or discharge planner on day one. Medicare does not pay for ongoing non-medical care at home, so families should plan for that gap. HomeCare.com caregivers are non-medical.

Source: [medicare.gov](https://www.medicare.gov/publications/11376-your-discharge-planning-checklist.pdf)

[Read more: What is Home Care? How to Benefit from These Services?](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/family-resources/what-is-home-care/)

## Related terms

-   [**Hospital discharge**Hospital discharge is when a patient leaves the hospital to go home or to another care setting.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/hospital-discharge/)
-   [**Transitional care**Transitional care is support that helps a person move safely from one care setting to another, such as from hospital to home.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/transitional-care/)
-   [**Care plan**A care plan is a written plan that lists a person's needs, goals, tasks, schedule and who does what.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/care-plan/)
-   [**Medicare home health benefit**The Medicare home health benefit pays for part-time or intermittent skilled care at home.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/medicare-home-health-benefit/)
-   [**Care coordination**Care coordination is the work of organizing a person's care across doctors, caregivers, services and family so the pieces fit together.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/care-coordination/)
-   [**Home safety assessment**A home safety assessment is a room-by-room check of a home for hazards that could cause falls or injuries.](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/home-safety-assessment/)

[All glossary terms](https://homecare.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/)

## Talk to a care advisor today.

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