Hospital Readmissions Fall Slightly, Medicare Data Show
Hospital readmissions rates in the U.S. have dropped only slightly despite CMS-led campaigns and the threat of financial penalties, according to Medicare data released last week. Twenty percent of Medicare patients were readmitted to a hospital within one month of discharge from 2008 to 2011, according to data posted on CMS' Hospital Compare website. On Oct. 1, CMS will implement penalties for hospitals with above-average readmissions rates.
- "Hospitals Readmissions Rates Not Budging" (Rau, Kaiser Health News/Washington Post, 7/19).