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What's New | July 20, 2009

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Reducing Hospital Readmission Rates
Hospital readmissions are common and costly. One in five Medicare patients were readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of being discharged in 2003 and 2004, which generated an estimated total of $17.4 billion in hospital payments in 2004, according to an April 2, 2009 New England Journal of Medicine article.

The featured innovations describe two programs that reduced hospital readmission rates and a third one that did not reduce readmission rates. Both types of innovation experiences offer important lessons learned. The featured QualityTools provide practical discharge planning tools.
Featured Innovations:

•  Attempt Nurse Practitioner–Led Transitional Care Program Does Not Reduce Readmissions During Period Between Discharge and Followup Appointment
with Expert Commentary

•  Nurse-Administered Pulmonary Protocol Increases Out-of-Bed Activity, Shortens Length of Stay, and Reduces Readmissions

Featured QualityTools:

• Planning for Your Discharge: A Checklist for Patients and Caregivers Preparing to Leave a Hospital, Nursing Home, or Other Health Care Setting
Developed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Department of Health and Human Services

• Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge) Toolkit
Developed by Boston Medical Center

• Studer Group Toolkit: Patient Safety
Developed by Studer Group

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Also in This Issue:
Innovations >

• Airport Clinics Provide Quick Access to Low-Cost, Routine Services for Travelers, Airport/Airline Employees

• Care Process Algorithms Improve Continuation of Beta Blockers During Perioperative Period

• Church-Sponsored, Barbershop-Based Program Enhances Access to Screenings and Followup Care for African-American Men in Harlem

• Daily Remote Monitoring and As-Needed Nurse Contacts Reduce Unexpected Clinic Visits, Hospitalizations for Chemotherapy Patients

• Group Visits Expand Capacity to Serve Dementia Patients and Caregivers, Result in High Levels of Patient and Provider Satisfaction

• Hourly Testing and As-Needed Dosing Adjustments Significantly Improve Effectiveness of Glycemic Control in Intensive Care Unit Patients

• Archived Nurse-Led Telephone Outreach More Than Doubles Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates for At-Risk Individuals

• Patient-Centered Hospital Redesign Leads to Low Infection Rates, Higher Patient Satisfaction, More Admissions, and Other Benefits

• Provider-Lawyer Partnerships Increase Access to Health-Related Legal Services and Improve Well-Being for Low-Income Children and Families

QualityTools >

• CAHPS Pocket Reference Guide for Adult Surveys
Developed by RAND

• Integrating Chronic Care and Business Strategies in the Safety Net: A Practice Coaching Manual
Developed by MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation; RAND

• Medication Reconciliation Review
Developed by Mayo Health System

• Multi-stakeholder Community Inventory Modules
Developed by Center for Health Improvement