Background: Hospital readmission rates are a key issue in health policy as they place a large burden on the healthcare system. Readmissions are a preventable source of health care expenditure and in some cases, represent an opportunity for quality improvement. Lack of standardization in hospital discharge processes, and deficiencies in the transition of care after discharge, predispose patients to an increased risk of illness, hospital utilization and healthcare costs. Previously identified issues in discharge planning include timely transmission of discharge summaries to primary care providers and lack of communication between providers and patients with respect to discharge medications and follow-up appointments.