The Miriam Hospital

A tradition of superior patient care

Patient Discharge Process at The Miriam Hospital

Our Discharge Philosophy: Home Is Best

There’s no place better than home to heal. Home is family. A favorite chair. A pet. Where your friends can find you. It’s quiet when you want it, and louder when you turn up the volume. That’s why Home is Best to get you back to your life as soon as possible.

At Brown University Health, we strive to ensure that Delivering health with care can continue at home. A recent national study showed that patients who were discharged directly home and those who entered a skilled nursing facility after their hospital stay experienced the same functional outcomes.*

Why delay with a stay somewhere that promises to feel like home when you could be at home?

A recovery at home:

  • Includes regular appointments with a high quality, skilled care team equipped with a care plan tailored to your needs.
  • Is in a familiar, comfortable, and safe environment.
  • Offers quiet and privacy.
  • Allows you to make your own schedule, including when and what you eat.
  • Allows for visitors when you want.
  • Gives you peace of mind.
  • Permits family and loved ones to be close.

Ask your care team if a recovery at home is your best option for getting better.

*Read related research

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What’s Best for You?

Before your discharge, you and your care team will work together to identify which level of care is right for you. There are options designed for your specific needs and abilities in a variety of settings.

Learn more about the options that are best for you

Case Management

The case management department helps make plans for your return home or, if needed, to a post-acute facility as recommended by your care team.  Case management staff may meet with you and your family to discuss your discharge plan and preferences. They will work with your health care team to prepare you and your family for your discharge home from the hospital.

Case managers can:

  • Answer your questions about discharge planning.
  • Arrange for home health services.
  • Transfer to skilled nursing facilities.
  • Facilitate nursing home placement, home hospice care and inpatient hospice care. 
  • Acquire home medical equipment.

Contact the case management department at 401-793-2079 (internally dial extension 3-2079). 

Discharge Policy

To prepare for patients being admitted, we ask that you plan to depart as early as possible in the morning of the day you expect to go home.

You cannot be discharged until your physician completes the necessary medical records. On occasion, we do experience a delay in the discharge process; however, we request that a family member or friend arrive in the morning.

Brown University Health Pharmacy

Brown University Health Pharmacy can fill and deliver your discharge medications to your bedside at no extra cost to you. If you prefer, you (or a family member or caregiver) may also pick up your medications at Brown University Health Pharmacy, which is located in the main lobby at The Miriam Hospital. This is an optional program that is offered for your convenience. Please note that you have the right to select any pharmacy you wish to fill your prescriptions.

If you need more information before making a decision, feel free to contact the pharmacy staff at 401-793-5500.

To choose Brown University Health Pharmacy bedside delivery service for your discharge medications, fill out the Brown University Health Pharmacy information sheet to opt in for bedside service. Your prescriptions will be sent to Brown University Health Pharmacy to be filled. Your medications will be delivered to you before you leave.

Frequently asked questions about Brown University Health Pharmacy

Follow-Up Care

If your physician recommends follow-up care after you are discharged, it is your right to choose the provider of these services.

You may decide to continue to receive care through other Brown University Health affiliates.

Rehabilitation Services

Vanderbilt Rehabilitation Center: 401-845-1845

Other Hospitals

Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Children’s: 401-444-4000

Bradley Hospital: 401-432-1000

Newport Hospital: 401-846-6400

We understand that you may be familiar with another provider or have a preferred provider based on your insurance plan. Our care management staff will give you a list of licensed and/or certified health care providers in the state in which you reside and assist with your selection. Because we are unfamiliar with the practices of the providers on the resource list, we cannot make any recommendations. If you have any questions, please call a care manager at 401-793-2079 (internally dial extension 3-2079).