Welcome to Discharge Compliance, a new blog series created for schedulers, coordinators, discharge planners, and risk managers. This series is dedicated to one clear but often misunderstood rule in outpatient medicine: patients cannot be discharged alone. Facilities must enforce the presence of a trusted adult, healthcare companion, or chaperone at check-in, discharge, and often through early recovery.
The Discharge Rule: A Universal Standard
Whether in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC), hospital outpatient department, or specialty clinic, the discharge requirement is universal. Patients under sedation or anesthesia cannot safely drive, process instructions, or monitor their own recovery in the critical first hours. A rideshare driver or taxi operator cannot accept responsibility for their care. For this reason, facilities across the U.S. mandate a responsible adult be present, and enforcement falls on front-line staff: schedulers, coordinators, and discharge planners.
Compliance and Risk Management
For providers, discharge compliance is not optional. Allowing a patient to leave without a companion creates liability exposure and undermines accreditation standards. Risk managers depend on coordinators and nurses to enforce this policy because the consequences are serious: cancelled procedures, delayed recoveries, or worse, readmissions and adverse events that could have been prevented.
Schedulers and planners are often the first to explain the requirement, but they are also the ones who face difficult conversations when a patient arrives without support. In many cases, staff must choose between delaying surgery, overextending nurses, or allowing unsafe discharge—all of which create operational strain.
The Role of Companion Care
MyFredy was designed to support providers in exactly these scenarios. Our medical escorts and healthcare companions meet the discharge requirement by:
- Arriving at check-in to serve as the responsible adult on record.
- Waiting during the procedure and staying available for provider communication.
- Receiving discharge instructions directly from the care team.
- Escorting patients home or to a hotel, with pharmacy stops if needed.
- Providing optional in-home aftercare during the first recovery hours.
These services reduce last-minute cancellations, help coordinators enforce compliance, and give providers peace of mind that patients are supported safely beyond the facility doors.
Beyond the Patient: Operational Benefits
Discharge compliance isn’t only about patients—it’s about protecting operations. Each cancelled procedure can represent thousands of dollars in lost revenue, wasted OR time, and disruption to the surgical team. By ensuring patients have compliant companions, facilities reduce the chance of wasted resources and staff burnout.
What This Blog Will Cover
The Discharge Compliance blog will provide updates and case studies on how outpatient facilities handle these requirements. Future posts will cover:
- How discharge planners can communicate requirements more effectively with patients.
- Examples of risk management strategies that protect both facilities and patients.
- The evolving role of companion care requirements in state policies and accreditation standards.
- Insights from providers across multiple specialties, including GI, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, and orthopedics.
Learn More
Visit our pricing and FAQs for an overview of patient support options, or explore our resources for caregivers to see how MyFredy helps patients comply with provider rules.
External Resource
For additional background, see the CMS guidance on outpatient surgery discharge planning, which underscores the importance of compliance in safe patient care.
