Patient Choice Paradox in Post-Acute Care

This technical report discusses the patient choice paradox in post-acute care selection, addressing the challenges faced by patients, caregivers, and providers. It outlines the difficulties patients encounter when transitioning from hospital discharge to post-acute care, particularly in a value-based healthcare landscape where providers are under pressure to improve outcomes and reduce costs. The report emphasizes the need for an informed patient choice model, suggesting four critical strategies to empower patients and caregivers. These strategies include initiating care planning discussions earlier in the hospital intake process, standardizing and sharing quality and cost information among providers, developing robust clinical decision support technology to aid in informed decision-making, and establishing best practices for high-performing collaborative networks. The authors advocate for collaboration among healthcare stakeholders to enhance patient care and optimize outcomes while navigating the complexities of post-acute care.