<0> New York, New Jersey hospitals, health plans and employers work together to understand why the region has highest readmission rates in the nation and find solutions </0>
NEBGH Solutions and Innovation Center Issues Report on the Hospital Readmissions Crisis
Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH)Michael Rubin, 202-898-0995
(NEBGH) today released a report examining ways hospitals and health plans in the region can reduce preventable readmissions. The report was the result of a unique collaboration between area hospitals, health plans and employers, and was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck.
“Preventable hospital readmissions are a threat to patient safety, a burden to employers, occur far too often, and contribute to the rising cost of healthcare,” said , the Solutions and Innovations Center Executive Director. “This report sheds light on where the breakdown occurs in the healthcare system resulting in high readmissions in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and what can be done to fix it.”
Nationally, preventable readmissions cost an estimated $25 billion per year, yet a disproportionate share of these costs fall in the Northeast. According to a 2009 study of avoidable hospital use and costs by the Commonwealth Fund, New York ranks last in the nation, New Jersey is No. 48, and Connecticut comes in at No. 32.
Among the issues tackled in the report:
Launched by NEBGH in 2011, the Solutions and Innovations Center brings together leading experts from the fields of medicine, academia and business to conduct objective, structured and sponsored research to identify innovative ways to improve the quality and value of employee health care. The Center’s previous work has focused on value-based benefit design, pain management and employers, as well as other urgent healthcare issues.
The hospital readmissions report reflects the findings of a multi-stakeholder panel of area hospitals, health plans and employers convened by Northeast Business Group on Health. The report includes a set of recommendations for making further progress in avoidable readmissions, and profiles a number of local and regional efforts by health systems and health plans.
“Tackling the readmissions crisis will require better collaboration between hospitals and health plans, aligned financial incentives, and more engaged consumers,” said Laurel Pickering, NEBGH President and CEO. “We need to act fast. The costs to employers, employees, plans, and taxpayers are too great.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Solutions and Innovation Center will be hosting a webinar on the hospital readmissions crisis and the findings of the report on September 19, at 12 p.m. ET. Visit for more information.
Northeast Business Group on Health is a network of employers, providers, insurers, and other organizations working together to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Since its inception in 1982 as New York Business Group on Health, the organization has spearheaded important initiatives, conducted breakthrough research and launched innovative programs that have brought meaningful change to the healthcare marketplace for employers in the New York-metropolitan area. In November 2010, the organization changed its name to the Northeast Business Group on Heath and expanded its mission to serve employers across the region. For more information or to join NEBGH, visit or call (212) 252-7440.