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Hospitals Try To Control Readmissions, Even When It Hurts Profits
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking hospitals’ repeat customers very seriously. Almost 1out of 5 Medicare patients discharged from a hospital is back within 30 days. Research suggests as many as 75% of those return visits could be prevented with better treatment in the hospital and better care once people are back home.
As with many other problems in the healthcare system, unnecessary hospital readmissions are associated with worse treatment and health outcomes, as well as higher costs to taxpayers — $15 billion a year for Medicare alone, according to a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission study.
Starting next fall, HHS will begin penalizing hospitals if their readmission rates are higher than expected for 3 conditions: heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia. In the first year that penalties kick in, 1% of hospitals’ Medicare payments will be withheld, and that penalty will climb in subsequent years — at a time when payers are reducing fees to hospitals on a number of other fronts, too.
Read the full article at: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/December/14/Readmissions-at-Mt-Sinai.aspx
Sources: Kaiser Health News; NPR; WNYC
Low-Volume Hospitals Had Higher Reoperation Rate, Postoperative Complications in CRC
April 18th 2024Patients opting for elective colorectal surgery to address colorectal cancer (CRC) could have different rates of reoperation and postoperative complications based on the size of the hospital.
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Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
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Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
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Survival Rates in CLL: Targeted Agents vs Fludarabine Combo Therapy Study
April 17th 2024Researchers conducted an analysis of 4 phase 3 trials, covering 2751 patients, to address the potential for targeted agents in younger and physically fit patients who have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
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