Medicare 30-day readmission rates declined in 49 states between 2010 and 2015, resulting in an estimated 565,000 fewer hospital readmissions, according to data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Rates fell by more than 5% in 43 states and by more than 10% in 11 states. While hospitals have reduced readmissions by 565,000 since 2010, the program has penalized them by $1.9 billion. The hospital industry is urging the U.S. Senate to enact House-passed legislation (H.R. 5273) that would create a fairer comparison among hospitals by adjusting the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program measures for socioeconomic factors.
The data can be accessed at https://blog.cms.gov/2016/09/13/new-data-49-states-plus-dc-reduce-avoidable-hospital-readmissions/.