Reducing ER Visits and Readmissions after Head and Neck Surgery Through a Phone-based Quality Improvement Program

Objective: Evaluate the impact of a patient phone calls and virtual wound checks within 72 hours of discharge on reducing emergency room (ER) visits and readmissions. Methods: Single arm trial with comparison to historical control data of patients undergoing multi subsite head and neck cancer operations or laryngectomy between July 2017 and June 2018 at a tertiary academic medical center. Patients were contacted within 72 hours of hospital discharge. As a supplement to the call, patients were given the opportunity to video conference with and/or send pictures to the provider with additional questions via a designated wound care phone. Results: Ninety-one patients met inclusion criteria, of whom 83 (91.2%) were contacted. Six patients (7%) were readmitted, of whom three had not been able to be reached. The patients who had been unable to be contacted were readmitted for dysphagia (2), and a urinary tract infection (1). The contacted patients were advised to go the ER during the call for concerns for postoperative bleeding (2) and gastrointestinal bleeding (1). Twenty-five patients (30%) utilized the wound care phone. 18 patients (21.7%) reported that the phone call survey prevented them from going to the ER. When compared to the prior year, there was as statistically significant decrease in ER visits ( P < .05), and no change in readmissions. Conclusions: Implementation of a phone call in the early postoperative period has the potential to decrease unnecessary ER visits and enhance patient satisfaction. This may decrease strain on the health care system and improve patient care. Level of Evidence: 4