Continuing your care at home

On this Page:
Planning your discharge
Prescriptions
Follow-up care
Home health services
Hospice care
Patient-education classes 

Our care for you doesn’t end when you are discharged from the hospital. We remain committed to helping you maintain your health and comfort, and we are available to help you meet your ongoing care needs.

Planning your discharge

Before you begin your hospital stay, be sure that someone will be available to take you home by 11 a.m. on the day your physician approves your discharge. Before your leave, your nurse will review with you the physician’s discharge instructions and your discharge medications.

Clinical case managers, who are registered nurses or qualified social workers, will coordinate special needs, such as home-care services, equipment and transfers to other facilities. If you have any questions or requests, call (916) 734-7327 (4-7327 from a hospital phone.) Your doctor or nurse also will explain to you what follow-up care you will require and how to obtain it.

Be sure to collect your personal belongings and any valuables you may have left in the hospital safe.

After you get home, you may be contacted by phone or mail and asked to complete a short survey about your hospital experience. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we value any information you can provide.

Following your discharge, your prescriptions may be filled at any pharmacy. If you choose to have your prescriptions filled at a UC Davis pharmacy, notify your nurse who will contact the pharmacy for you. Please be prepared to present your prescription insurance information if requested. 

You will be responsible for any co-payment, share of cost or prescriptions not covered by your insurance. If your insurance or health plan does not contract with our pharmacy, you will need to pay the pharmacy, then request reimbursement from your insurance company or health plan using the receipt provided to you.  If you have questions about your discharge medications, you can ask to speak to a pharmacist before leaving the hospital.

After you are discharged from the hospital, you may be referred to one of our specialty clinics for follow-up care.

Please bring your insurance card and your blue or platinum UC Davis Medical Center identification card to the appointment. Please be prepared to make copayments. If you are a new patient and you do not have a UC Davis Medical Center identification, you will be given one at your first appointment.  The cards simplify appointment scheduling but they do not guarantee financial coverage for your care or eliminate the need to apply for government programs.  Call (800) 2-UCDAVIS (800-284-3284) for assistance. 

If you need health services after returning home, your physician may arrange for care through UC Davis Home Care Services or an agency of your choice. Registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, home health aides, social workers, and physical, speech, and occupational therapists work as a team to provide the services ordered by your physician.

The home health-care team provides a variety of adult and pediatric services, including wound care, medication management, diabetic teaching, and illness/disease education and medical management. Intravenous services are performed in collaboration with a community-based infusion therapy vendor. For more information, call (916) 734-2458 (4-2458 from a hospital phone).

UC Davis Medical Center’s Hospice program provides end-of-life care for patients and families of all ages. Hospice is a philosophy of health care emphasizing symptom management while helping patients and families cope with their suffering and grief. In hospice care, success is determined by redefining goals of care that support the patient’s quality of life.
 
UC Davis Medical Center’s Hospice program may be reached at (916) 734-2458 (4-2458 from a hospital phone).

Patient-education classes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis to all UC Davis patients. Instructional topics include asthma, heart-healthy eating, smoking cessation, childbirth preparation and baby basics. Some classes may require enrollment fees.

For more information, call (916) 734-9797. You may also register online.