title: Complications initiative saves $120 million, improves quality.
abstract: A New Jersey initiative to reduce complications for hospitalized patients is reporting significant success. Over three years the program averted almost 14,000 incidents of patient harm and saved $120 million in healthcare costs. New Jersey hospitals achieved a 7.7% decrease in the rate of patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of a prior hospital stay. Reduced readmissions account for about $84 million of the projected savings. New Jersey has traditionally had one of the nation's highest rates of readmission.
mesh_terms: D017046:Cost Savings; D009515:New Jersey; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D061214:Patient Safety; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000191:economics*; D011787:Quality of Health Care