Readmissions Reduction Program

Sample Solution

  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program was created in 2012 with the goal of reducing avoidable readmissions at hospitals nationwide. The idea is that by providing incentives to hospitals who are able to reduce their readmission rates,

they can improve care quality and patient outcomes while helping to decrease costs associated with unnecessary hospitalizations. While this program has been successful on a national level, it is important to consider its effect in individual states as well. In my state of New York, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program has had a positive impact on readmission rates when compared to the national average over the past several years. According to data from CMS, between 2013-2016 there was an overall decline of 3% in all-cause 30-day risk standardized hospital readmission rates among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries within New York State – significantly lower than other states such as California or Texas which saw a 1% and 2%, respectively. This decline indicates that the program’s efforts have been effective in reducing avoidable hospitalizations within New York's population. The success of this program can be attributed largely to its focus on preventative care measures during and after discharge from hospital settings – such as follow up appointments and pharmacological treatments – that help ensure better patient outcomes without relying solely on costly interventions like rehospitalization. Furthermore, many hospitals throughout New York have adopted new technologies designed specifically for improving communication between providers across different healthcare settings; for example, electronic health records enable information about medications prescribed at one facility to be easily shared with another provider if necessary. Finally, some organizations have implemented financial incentive programs whereby physicians are rewarded financially for meeting certain quality of care standards related to readmission reduction; this could also play a role in driving down avoidable rehospitalization rates among patients treated within New York State’s healthcare system. Overall then, it seems clear that the implementation of CMS' Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program within my state of residence -New York – has had a positive effect on decreasing unnecessary readmissions while simultaneously improving quality of care overall amongst Medicare fee-for service beneficiaries here. This can be seen through multiple initiatives aimed at increasing preventive care practices along with technological advancements aiding communication among healthcare professionals; these tools help promote better coordination between facilities so that appropriate interventions (or lack thereof) can be administered based upon each individual case rather than relying solely upon costly rehospitalizations when emergency situations do not arise. Thus ultimately contributing towards achieving both improved patient outcomes and reduced costs associated with unneeded rehospitalizations alike