Before leaving the hospital, ask for written wound-care instructions, a current medication list, copies of relevant operative and wound notes, dressing orders, supply information, and the name of the clinician responsible for follow-up. If travel is difficult, mobile wound care can provide evaluation and ongoing treatment where the patient lives.
Clear discharge information reduces delays and conflicting instructions. Ask the hospital team who will manage the wound, when the next evaluation should occur, and whom to call if the wound changes.
A mobile wound clinician evaluates and treats the wound. A home-health nurse may provide ordered skilled nursing and dressing support for eligible patients. Family caregivers may help with daily tasks after receiving appropriate instructions. These roles can overlap, so the discharge plan should identify who is responsible for each part.
An in-home evaluation may be helpful when the patient is homebound, has limited mobility, cannot safely transfer into a vehicle, lives in assisted living, or needs ongoing advanced treatment after an operation or hospitalization. Insurance coverage and referral requirements vary by plan and clinical situation.
Contact the responsible clinician promptly for increasing pain, drainage, odor, redness, swelling, fever, separation of a surgical incision, or problems with prescribed equipment. Call 911 or seek emergency care for heavy bleeding, confusion, difficulty breathing, fainting, or rapidly spreading infection symptoms.
Call 877-545-1300 or request a provider to begin care. Healix360 serves Southern California and Nevada and accepts Medicare Part B and most major insurance plans.