Tracking of discharged patients, local hospital partnerships and readmissions rates have improved, albeit slowly, under the Hospital to Home Quality Improvement Initiative, a program of the American College of Cardiology and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, according to a letter in Journal of the American Medical Association.
The program, designed to improve transitions in care and reduce readmissions for patients with heart disease, has been in operation since 2009. The JAMA findings included survey results from 437 hospitals completed in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Hospitals reported:
- More partnerships with local hospitals to reduce readmissions (30.7 percent, up from 22.9 percent)
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- Discharging patients with follow-up appointments already in place (61.1 percent, up from 52.4 percent)
- Scheduling follow-ups within one week of discharge (42 percent, up from 32.2 percent)
- Better tracking of patients readmitted to a different hospital (19 percent, up from 12 percent)
- Formal estimation of readmission risk (34.6 percent, up from 22.5 percent)
- Use of electronic medication reconciliation forms (81 percent, up form 72.8 percent)
- Use of teach-back techniques for patients (80.8 percent, up from 68.9 percent)
- Contact with patients to check in after discharge (71.4 percent, up from 62.9 percent)
Researchers say more consistent implementation of recommended strategies could speed the improvement process, though how to improve compliance is unknown, according to a news release.