HOSPITAL

READMISSIONS

The Verdict is In: Two-Thirds of Hospitals are Being Penalized For Unacceptably High Readmission Rates

That's more than 2,200 hospitals, including some nationally recognized ones! And they are losing up to a full 1% of ALL Medicare revenue as a result. The maximum penalty will increase to 2 percent of payments starting in October 2013 and then to 3 percent the following year.

With nearly 1 in 5 Medicare patients returning to the hospital within a month of discharge, it's no wonder insurers consider readmissions a prime symptom of an overly expensive and uncoordinated health system.

The Facts Are Clear:

Nearly 2 million Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within 30 days of release each year;

Medicare spends $17.5 billion in additional hospital cost because of readmissions;

The national average readmission rate has remained steady at slightly above 19 percent for several years, even as many hospitals have worked harder to lower theirs.

Today, more than ever, hospital executives cannot afford the hit to revenues or the public black eye of ignoring what happens to patients after they leave the hospital.

But, Readmissions Have Little To Do with What Happens in the Hospital

"Only 25% of readmissions can be directly correlated with what happens during (hospital) discharge. This has as much if not more to do with patient and outpatient follow-up"

-Christopher Shearer, MD, Chief Medical Officer, John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital; Health Leaders September 2012