(2nd article) Medicare's Readmissions-Reduction Program — A Positive Alternative — NEJM

Medicare's Readmissions-Reduction Program — A Positive Alternative — NEJM

Hospital readmissions are receiving increasing attention as a largely correctable source of poor quality of care and excessive spending. According to a 2009 study, nearly 20% of Medicare beneficiaries are rehospitalized within 30 days after discharge, at an annual cost of $17 billion.1 Causes of avoidable readmissions include hospital-acquired infections and other complications; premature discharge; failure to coordinate and reconcile medications; inadequate communication among hospital personnel, patients, caregivers, and community-based clinicians; and poor planning for care transitions........