Do Transitional Care Clinics for Patients Without Primary Care Providers Prevent Readmissions or Emergency Visits?

The immediate period after hospital discharge is fraught with risk. Patients might have adverse medication side effects, confusion about their medications or outpatient treatment plan, worsening symptoms, or hospital-related complications. Patients without primary care providers (PCPs) are more likely to experience these adverse events. Transitional care clinics (TCCs) have been proposed to improve healthcare outcomes in patients without PCPs.

Researchers conducted a systematic review to look at the effect of TCC follow-up within 30 days of discharge on emergency department (ED) visits, readmissions, or mortality within 90 days of discharge. Five single-center studies (two randomized trials and three observational studies) were included in t…