Request these five things before your parent leaves: the discharge summary, an updated medication reconciliation list, written follow-up appointment instructions, any home care or physical therapy orders, and copies of test results from the stay. Hospitals are required to provide these, but they're often handed over only if you ask — build the habit of asking at the start of discharge, not the end.

Discharge day moves fast, and the paperwork that matters most is easy to miss in the rush to leave. Here's what to actually request, and why each one matters.

The five documents to request

  1. Discharge summary — the official record of why your parent was admitted, what was done, and their condition at release. This is the document every future doctor will want to see.
  2. Medication reconciliation list — a side-by-side of what your parent took before admission versus what they should take now. Hospitals frequently add, stop, or change dosages during a stay, and this is the only document that shows what changed.
  3. Follow-up appointment instructions — in writing, including who to see, when, and why. Verbal instructions given while your parent is tired or medicated are easy to forget.
  4. Home care, therapy, or equipment orders — if home health, physical therapy, or medical equipment (walker, oxygen, hospital bed) was ordered, get the paperwork confirming it, since this is what triggers insurance coverage and vendor delivery.
  5. Test results from the stay — labs, imaging, or specialist notes. Ask for copies rather than assuming they'll transfer automatically to the primary care doctor.
The medication list is the highest-risk item. A common and dangerous mistake is a parent resuming an old prescription bottle at home that was supposed to be discontinued in the hospital. Confirm the new list against what's actually in their medicine cabinet before the first dose at home.

Questions to ask before you leave the room

Before discharge, ask directly: what changed in their medications and why, what symptoms should trigger a call to the doctor versus a return to the ER, when the follow-up appointment is and with whom, and whether any home health or equipment was ordered. Ask for the answers in writing — a discharge nurse can usually print or write down what was said verbally if you ask before you leave.

What happens if something is missing later

If you get home and realize a document is missing, call the hospital's medical records department directly rather than the unit you were discharged from — they can usually fax or upload records to a pharmacy or primary care office within a day. Keep a copy for yourself as well, since the same document is often needed again at the next specialist visit.

Keeping discharge information organized going forward

Discharge instructions tend to live in loose, easy-to-lose places — a stack of papers, a photo on someone's phone, a printout nobody can find later. MyParentHQ gives you a place to act on discharge information immediately: update the Medications module the moment a dose changes so the new list — not the old bottle at home — is what's current, and log follow-up instructions in Care Notes so every caregiver with access sees the same plan, not a secondhand summary.

Update your parent's medication list the moment it changes, and keep everyone on the same page.

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Related: What to bring to the ER for an elderly parent · Finding a parent's medication list fast · Full Emergency Guide