title: Five years later, hospitals still struggle with readmissions.
abstract: Despite the huge focus on reducing 30-day readmission rates, a majority of hospitals are still getting penalized. But, in many cases, the penalties may be too small to justify big expenditures for new programs and staff. Case management leaders should work with the hospital administration to redesign the way that care is delivered in order to succeed as the healthcare market changes. Hospitals need to have a handle on their own readmission data including number of patients readmitted within 7, 14, and 30 days, the top 10 conditions of readmitted patients, and where readmitted patients went after their initial discharge. Case managers should take the time to thoroughly assess patients for healthcare literacy, social issues, family support, and educate them on their conditions, their prognosis, and palliative and hospice care if appropriate.
mesh_terms: D019090:Case Management; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000639:trends*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States