February 9th, 2012
What Are You Doing About Readmission Rates?
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
The need to focus on readmission is becoming more relevant every day. Today there was news in the Wall Street Journal that UnitedHealth may start incorporating incentives about readmission into its contracts:
‘UnitedHealth, like other insurers, is targeting the traditional system that pays hospitals and doctors for each service provided, rewarding them for more care but not necessarily better care. Under the new plan the carrier is rolling out, part of medical providers’ compensation could be tied to goals such as avoiding hospital readmissions and ensuring patients get recommended screenings.
Unfortunately there are no easy solutions. The H2H Quality Initiative, sponsored by the ACC, is an attempt to bring together practitioners and institutions to share information about what works. [Disclosure: I co-lead this effort – but it is currently free and an effort to foster a learning community.] Take a look if you are not familiar with it:
What are you doing about the readmission rates at your institution? Have you seen any effective interventions? Has the topic been raised?
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