Dartmouth Report on Hospital Readmission Rates - October 4, 2011

According to a report released on Sept. 28 by the Dartmouth Atlas Project, in 2009, roughly one in six Medicare patients was readmitted to a hospital for a medical condition within 30 days after discharge. This proportion was similar to results from 2004. The average readmission rate after discharge for a medical condition increased from 2004 to 2009 in 27 hospital referral regions and decreased in 11. Readmission rates after surgeries decreased in 28 regions and increased in 18 over the same period. The study also found that more than half of Medicare patients discharged to their home do not see a primary care clinician within 2 weeks of leaving the hospital. NAPH’s President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce Siegel commented on the report saying, “No one wants to wind up back in the hospital if it can be prevented. But we need to acknowledge that in many of the communities served by the safety net, there are simply not the resources to keep people healthy at home. Reducing readmissions will require partnerships that go beyond the hospital to build a seamless system of prevention and care.”