Find and understand your discharge follow-up instructions

Mira
Mira
Updated

Discharge follow-up instructions explain what to do after emergency care, inpatient care, observation, procedure care, or behavioral health discharge. They may include medication changes, warning signs, follow-up appointments, lab or imaging orders, specialist referrals, or instructions to contact a care team.

You may receive discharge instructions from Alchemilla Hospital, Brookhaven Hospital, or a Silent Hill Health care team. If your care involved more than one facility, your instructions may reference both Alchemilla medical follow-up and Brookhaven behavioral health follow-up.

Note: Discharge documents may be delayed during emergency department surges, discharge-processing backlogs, records-room service interruptions, lake fog advisories, road access restrictions, or townwide siren events.

Where to find discharge instructions

Discharge instructions may be available in more than one place. Check the most recent version before scheduling follow-up care or making medication changes.

Paper discharge packet Instructions printed or provided when you left the emergency department, inpatient unit, observation area, or Brookhaven discharge desk.
Patient portal Check Visit Summaries, Documents, Messages, Discharge Instructions, or After-Visit Summary sections.
Portal messages Scheduling Services, the care team, or Health Information Management may send follow-up instructions or clarification after discharge.
Follow-up appointment details If an appointment was scheduled before discharge, instructions may appear inside that appointment’s details or pre-visit tasks.
Tip: If your paper instructions and portal instructions do not match, contact the discharging facility or Scheduling Services before making changes.

What to review in your instructions

Review each section of your discharge instructions carefully. Look for:

  • Reason for emergency care, admission, observation, or discharge
  • Diagnosis or visit summary
  • Medication changes, new prescriptions, or stop instructions
  • Symptoms to monitor after discharge
  • Return precautions or warning signs
  • Recommended follow-up timeframe
  • Follow-up provider, clinic, or department
  • Lab, imaging, diagnostic, or procedure instructions
  • Specialist referral instructions
  • Brookhaven behavioral health or medication review instructions
  • Care team contact information
Note: Some instructions may say to schedule follow-up yourself. Others may say that Scheduling Services will contact you. If the wording is unclear, contact the facility listed on the discharge packet.

Understand your follow-up timeline

Discharge instructions often include a timeframe for follow-up. This may be written as a number of days, a date range, or a specific appointment type.

Common follow-up timelines may include:

  • Follow up within 24 to 48 hours
  • Follow up within 3 to 5 days
  • Follow up within 1 to 2 weeks
  • Schedule a specialist appointment when contacted
  • Complete lab or imaging follow-up before a provider visit
  • Schedule Brookhaven behavioral health follow-up after emergency care
  • Return immediately if specific symptoms appear or worsen
Important: A routine follow-up timeline does not apply if your symptoms become severe, sudden, worsening, or unsafe to wait. Follow your return precautions or seek emergency care.

Medication instructions

Medication instructions can be one of the most important parts of a discharge packet. Review them before taking new medication, stopping a medication, or changing a dose.

Look for:

  • New prescriptions
  • Updated medication doses
  • Medications to stop or pause
  • When to restart a medication
  • Side effects or symptoms to watch for
  • Pharmacy pickup instructions
  • Lab monitoring instructions
  • Whether follow-up should be with Alchemilla, Brookhaven, or another provider
Tip: Bring your discharge medication list to your next appointment. If your appointment is with Brookhaven, include any medication changes made during Alchemilla emergency or inpatient care.

Lab, imaging, or diagnostic instructions

Your discharge instructions may ask you to complete lab work, imaging, diagnostic testing, or result review after leaving the hospital. These instructions may appear under follow-up care, test results, referrals, or orders.

Check whether your instructions include:

  • A lab order or testing order
  • A recommended testing date or timeframe
  • Imaging, X-ray, CT, ultrasound, or radiology follow-up
  • Pending results that need provider review
  • Preparation instructions, such as fasting or medication timing
  • A department phone number or scheduling instruction
  • A specialist referral connected to test results
Note: Results and diagnostic reports may not appear in the portal immediately. Provider review, radiology interpretation, or records matching may be needed first.

Who to contact after discharge

Contact the department listed on your discharge instructions if you are unsure what to do next. If no department is listed, contact Scheduling Services or the facility where you received care.

Alchemilla Hospital Contact Alchemilla Scheduling or Health Information Management for emergency, inpatient, outpatient, lab, imaging, diagnostic, or procedure-related discharge questions.
Brookhaven Hospital Contact Brookhaven Scheduling or Records for behavioral health discharge, medication review, intake follow-up, or post-discharge care coordination.
Silent Hill Health Scheduling Contact Scheduling Services if you need help routing a follow-up request, finding the correct department, or requesting a post-discharge appointment.
Tip: When contacting staff, include the discharge date, facility, department, reason for follow-up, and any timeframe listed in your instructions.

When not to wait for a portal response

Portal messages and routine scheduling requests are not emergency support. Do not wait for a portal reply if your discharge instructions say to return immediately or if your condition becomes unsafe to wait.

Seek emergency care if you have:

  • Severe injury
  • Trouble breathing
  • Chest pain
  • Signs of stroke
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Uncontrolled bleeding
  • Severe allergic reaction
  • Symptoms your discharge instructions say require immediate care
  • Symptoms that return, worsen, or feel unsafe to manage at home
  • A medical or safety concern that cannot safely wait
Important: For immediate medical or safety concerns, go to the Alchemilla Hospital emergency department or contact local emergency services.

FAQ

I cannot find my discharge instructions in the portal

Check Visit Summaries, Documents, Messages, and After-Visit Summary sections. If the instructions are still missing, contact the facility where you received care or Health Information Management.

My instructions say to follow up, but no appointment is listed

Some discharge instructions require you to request the appointment yourself. Submit a post-discharge appointment request and include your discharge date, facility, and follow-up timeframe.

My paper instructions and portal instructions are different

Contact the discharging facility or care team for clarification. Do not guess which version to follow if the difference involves medication, testing, return precautions, or follow-up timing.

My instructions mention Brookhaven, but I was seen at Alchemilla

Alchemilla emergency care may include a Brookhaven behavioral health or medication review recommendation. Brookhaven may need to review Alchemilla records before confirming the follow-up appointment.

The portal page looks wrong or keeps refreshing
  • Refresh your browser.
  • Clear your browser cache.
  • Try a different browser or device.
  • Check that you are signed in to the correct patient profile.
  • Wait and try again if the town siren has recently sounded.
  • Avoid using public terminals located in emergency back corridors, restricted offices, closed wards, or archive areas.

Need more help?

If you cannot find or understand your discharge follow-up instructions, contact the facility where you received care or Silent Hill Health Scheduling Services.

Authorized support only: Silent Hill Health does not use third-party discharge instruction services. Do not share your Patient ID, portal password, verification code, discharge paperwork, emergency records, medication instructions, insurance information, or follow-up details with anyone claiming to interpret discharge instructions outside the official portal, Scheduling Office, Records Office, care team, or facility registration desk.

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