Good discharge management is in the interest of both patients and the hospital's economic interests. With the 2007 healthcare reform, care management is one of the hospital's responsibilities (§ 11, Para. 4 SGB V).

An important part of the hospital social service's work is to plan and coordinate the discharge of patients, taking into account not only their health situation but also their social, professional and economic situation.

The Baden-Württemberg State Hospital Act defines the legal mandate of the social services in § 31 as follows: The hospital social service has the task of providing social advice and support to patients and their relatives, in particular with regard to the assistance required during their stay in hospital and after discharge.
The hospital social service ensures that the measures necessary for the patient's care, aftercare and rehabilitation are initiated after discharge.

The hospital social service at the Kidney Center is part of a multidisciplinary team. The social workers organize and coordinate the transitions between the different areas of care (inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitation, nursing, further care) in cooperation with the nursing staff and doctors. They inform and advise patients and their relatives about the possibilities of post-inpatient care, initiate necessary measures and clarify cost coverage.
The social workers act as an interface between the patient, their relatives, the treating professional groups in the hospital, cooperating institutions outside the hospital and cost bearers.

The hospital social service's discharge management is based on a holistic approach, defined quality standards and professional ethical principles.

The hospital social service uses a variety of methods, such as client-centered, systemic and solution-oriented counselling and crisis intervention. The content of the counseling is based on the patient's illness and individual life situation, their care and rehabilitation needs and their personal, family, social and economic resources.

The aim is to provide each patient with the form of care that best meets their wishes and needs, while respecting their right to self-determination, voluntariness and freedom of choice.

Hospital social work thus makes an important contribution to the overall treatment of the patient in hospital in addition to medical treatment and nursing care.

Discharge management brings together information from all professional groups involved. Preparation for discharge is multidisciplinary and is based on the needs of the individual case. The prerequisites for successful process coordination are interface competence, knowledge of the care systems and the ability to implement the necessary interventions. Due to their qualifications, social workers can take on the coordination of post-inpatient care for patients with comprehensive care needs in difficult life situations.