Reducing unplanned readmissions: Strategies to strengthen the bottom line, improve patient care and the patient experience


A study of claims data revealed CMS was paying billions of dollars to hospitals for providing care to Medicare recipients who had been hospitalized for the same condition within the previous 30 days.


Charged with reducing costs, improving quality and increasing hospitals’ accountability for the care they provide, CMS launched the Readmissions Reduction Program — or RRP — targeting specific diagnoses that comprised a significant percentage of unplanned readmissions. Rooted in the concept of negative incentive, more than 2,200 hospitals were hit with the first round of cuts in 2013.


Today, the jury is still out as to whether the program has improved the quality of care. But one fact is clear — more hospitals are negatively impacted financially by the RRP.

Since the inception of the RRP, TeamHealth has provided insight and strategies to clients, focusing on reducing unplanned readmissions and mitigating the negative impacts on reimbursement, quality of care and patient perception.


In this report, you'll learn how TeamHealth identified a set of “non-negotiables” when devising a plan to address this costly issue: communication, collaboration, comprehensive view of the patient experience and closing the loop to mitigate unplanned readmissions.

 

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