5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  Communication failures have been implicated in more than 70% of sentinel events reported in US hospitals, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

• 2

  Fragmented care can lead to duplicated testing, delayed follow-up, medication conflicts, and avoidable spending estimated at $25 billion to $45 billion annually in the United States.

• 3

  Timely laboratory results, including phosphate, potassium, and magnesium levels, support safe monitoring of patients receiving home enteral nutrition after hospital discharge.

• 4

  Standardized pathways, structured handoffs, multidisciplinary reviews, patient engagement, escalation protocols, and quality audits are practical approaches to improving care coordination.

• 5

  Interoperable electronic health records and laboratory information systems can make pathology data accessible across care settings and support continuity of care.