Despite national efforts to cut down on readmissions, hospitals only made minor progress in reducing costly readmissions over a five-year period ending in 2009, regardless of why patients were initially hospitalized, according to a new Dartmouth Atlas Project report.
About one in six Medicare patients ended up back in the hospital within a month of being discharged, and more than half of discharged Medicare patients failed to visit a primary care doctor within two weeks of leaving the hospital. These statistics should sound the alarm to hospitals as financial penalties for excessive readmission rates begin next year.
The national readmission rates following surgery stayed at 12.7 percent in 2004 and 2009, while readmission rates for medical conditions slightly rose from 15.9 percent to 16.1 percent.
The findings suggest hospitals need to do a better job of coordinating care for patients across all care settings, especially after they leave the hospital. They also bolster research from the New York State Health Foundation earlier this month that indicated improved discharge processes and post-discharge support can reduce readmission rates by a third.
"Everyone--patients, doctors, nurses, caregivers--has a role to play in ensuring quality care and avoiding another hospital stay," said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a longtime funder of the Dartmouth Atlas Project. "This should include a clear understanding of the patient's medical problems, a schedule for follow-up appointments, a list of medications and instructions for taking them."
Hospitals with high readmission rates will soon face a 1 percent penalty from Medicare beginning in fiscal year 2013. The penalty bumps up to 2 percent in 2014 and 3 percent in 2015. With such payment penalties at risk, hospitals should consider revamping their discharge planning processes and coordination efforts with primary care physicians.
For more information:
- here's the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article
- check out the report
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