In today’s financially pressured health care environment, the interests of a hospital may not always neatly align with the health and well being of a patient. This is especially true at discharge, when the hospital may face economic pressure to have the patient leave, even if the patient’s health is fragile or post-hospital plans are still in formation. Judith Graham, an award winning health journalist now writing a column for Kaiser Health News, has advice for those of you facing such situations. In a recent column she provides a number of important and easy to implement suggestions for older patients and their families. Her recommendations ensure that the needs of the patient have primacy in the discharge process. Because the last thing you need when leaving the hospital is an unresolved problem that could lead you right back to re-admission. Read her column Here.