Here are 21 hospital readmission findings and news items from the past month, beginning with the most recent.
1. OIG: Readmission Reduction Proposal Wouldn't Violate Antikickback
In an advisory opinion, the Office of Inspector General said a proposal of a pharmaceutical manufacturer subsidiary to contract with hospitals to reduce readmissions would not violate the antikickback statute.
2. Colorado Hospitals Cut All-Cause Readmissions 43%, Save Nearly $3M
The Colorado Hospital Association and UnitedHealthcare announced that its joint initiative to reduce readmissions cut 30-day all-cause readmission rates 43 percent in one year, leading to approximately $2.9 million in saved costs.
3. Study: Hip Surgery Readmissions Could Cost Hospitals $11k if CMS Doesn't Pay
Each Medicare hip surgery readmission could cost a hospital an average net loss of $11,494 if CMS stops reimbursing for them, according to a study in The Journal of Arthroplasty.
4. Ohio State, Columbus Neighborhood Health Centers Partner to Reduce Cardiac Readmissions
Ohio State University Hospital East in Columbus and Columbus Neighborhood Health Centers partnered to increase patients' access to cardiac care with the intention of reducing readmissions.
5. Study: Readmission Risk Predicted by Composite Patient Measure
A composite measure of a patient's condition at discharge can be used to accurately predict the risk of an unplanned readmission within 30 days, according to a study in Medical Care.
6. RWJF: Monetary Incentives Are Not Readmissions' Fundamental Answer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, made a case for wider policy solutions surrounding the readmissions problem in an Institute of Medicine commentary.
7. Essentia Health's Remote Monitoring System Cut HF Readmissions to 2%
Just 2 percent of Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health's heart failure patients need to be readmitted within 30 days, thanks to a remote patient monitoring program.
8. John C. Lincoln Health Network to Expand Transition Coach Program
Phoenix-based John C. Lincoln Health Network announced it is expanding its care transition coaching program to reduce readmissions.
9. Strong Memorial to Create "Virtual Care Centers" to Cut Readmissions
The University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center announced its Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester will use a grant to create "virtual care centers" to reduce readmissions.
10. Florida Hospitals Improve Patient Safety, Save More Than $47M
The Florida Hospital Association announced that Florida hospitals participating in a collaborative reduced readmission rates 15 percent, saving at least $25 million, from 2008 to 2010.
11. Vanderbilt, St. Thomas West Invest in Care Transition, See Readmissions Decline
Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Saint Thomas West Hospital, both in Nashville, will see declines in their readmissions penalties, thanks to their commitments to transition-based readmissions programs.
12. Study: Complication Rates Do Not Fully Explain Readmission Rate Variance
Complication rates do not solely account for the differences in readmission rates among hospitals, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
13. 10 Quality Provisions in the FY 2014 IPPS Rule to Know
The maximum penalty under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program will be increased from 1 percent to 2 percent for FY 2014.
14. CMS Responds to 6 Major Critiques of Readmission Measure
In its final rule for the fiscal year 2014 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System, CMS responded to critiques of the readmission measure.
15. Transitional Care Program in North Carolina Reduced Readmission Risk 20%
Statewide, a population-based transitional care program for Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina with chronic conditions was effective in reducing hospital readmissions.
16. Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Have Hidden Value
Cardiac rehabilitation is a useful tool for preventing readmissions, which can save hospitals money on extra procedures and fines for cardiac readmissions.
17. 18 Hospitals to Be Hit With CMS' Maximum 2% Fine for Readmissions
Eighteen hospitals will pay the maximum 2 percent fine for higher-than-expected Medicare readmission rates under the second year of CMS' Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
18. CMS to Fine Hospitals $227M for High Readmissions
CMS will fine hospitals a total of $227 million for greater-than-expected readmission rates for the second year of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
19. Study: EMR's Risk Assignment Helps Cut Heart Failure Readmissions 19%
Using an electronic medical record to identify heart failure patients at high risk for a 30-day readmission helped a hospital allocate care transition resources to those patients, leading to a reduction in the readmission rate.
20. Southern California Hospitals Unite to Reduce Homeless Readmissions
More than 30 hospitals and hospital systems in southern California announced an initiative to reduce homeless readmissions in mid-June.
21. Study Suggests Project BOOST Reduces Readmissions, With Caveats
Project BOOST — Better Outcomes for Older adults through Safe Transitions — reduced readmissions 13.6 percent, according to a study. However, two accompanying editorials suggested that flaws in the study attenuate these results.