Highmark has slightly altered requirements under its Quality Blue pay-for-performance hospital program to place a greater emphasis on readmission prevention.
Participants were previously allowed to choose any of the program indicators for measurement. Now, all hospitals will be required to measure and reduce the number of 30-day hospital readmissions beginning this month.
"Each year, preventable hospital readmissions cost the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $25 billion," said Linda Weiland, Highmark's vice president of provider network innovations and partnerships. "Having increased attention on the preventable root causes of readmissions should help to improve the quality of care provided to our members and reduce healthcare costs."
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