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Report on Hospital Readmissions Shows Little Progress Over 5 Years
A report released by the Dartmouth Atlas Project shows wide variations in 30-day readmission rates and little progress in reducing readmissions and improving care coordination between 2004 and 2009. To help understand problems with discharge planning and care coordination, the study examined six common causes of hospitalization for Medicare beneficiaries: those admitted for medical conditions, surgical conditions, congestive heart failure, heart attacks, pneumonia, and hip fracture. The authors hope their findings can be used to better understand the opportunities to improve the care of patients after hospital discharge. A link to the full report, After Hospitalization: A Dartmouth Atlas Report on Post- Acute Care for Medicare Beneficiaries, can be found at www.dartmouthatlas.org.
And in case you missed it...Click here to read our newest Wednesday Wisdom blog, where Debra Bertrand wonders out loud why hospitals aren’t turning to the rehospitalization avoidance experts: home health care agencies.
New AHRQ Toolkit for Medication Reconciliation
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently released: Medications at Transitions and Critical Handoffs (MATCH) Toolkit for Medication Reconciliation. This toolkit is based on an online toolkit () developed by Gary Noskin, M.D., and Kristine Gleason, R.Ph., of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. The toolkit offers step-by-step information on how to launch and sustain a standardized medication reconciliation process.
Interventions Aimed at Reducing 30-day Readmission Rates
The Annals of Internal Medicine recently published a review article that describes evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge.
A total of 43 studies were reviewed and categorized into 3 domains: predischarge interventions (patient education, medication reconciliation, discharge planning, and scheduling follow-up appointments); postdischarge interventions (follow-up telephone calls, patient-activated hotlines, timely communication with ambulatory clinicians, timely ambulatory clinician follow-up, and postdischarge home visits); and bridging interventions before and after discharge (transition coaches, physician continuity across the inpatient and outpatient setting, and patient-centered discharge instructions).
Click here for an abstract of this literature review.