HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Op Ed: … A new report issued last month by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council found that two of every 15 adult hospital stays in the state in 2010, or 13.5 percent, were followed by readmission within 30 days…
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has estimated that nationally, potentially preventable readmissions might account for as much as $12 billion per year in medical costs. That is one reason the federal government is scheduled to implement a new policy later this year, reducing Medicare reimbursements to hospitals that have an excess of preventable readmissions for certain conditions.
If the program had begun in 2010, half of all hospitals in the country would have been affected. The phrase “preventable readmissions” is worth noting, because not all repeat visits are avoidable, and their causes are not always under the control of the medical community… (more)
