Home Health Reduces 30-Day Readmission Rates 30%

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicare has been penalizing hospitals for higher than average 30-day readmissions of high-cost diagnoses since October 2012, and every healthcare network has endeavored to become national leaders in reducing readmissions. Specific diagnoses and procedures with 3% reduction in reimbursement from 2015 include heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, COPD, hip replacements, and knee replacements. Heart failure ac-counts for the largest re-hospitalization diagnosis. In February, the Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network released a study contracted by CMS to investigate the effects of home health on hospital 30-day readmission rates. Surprisingly, this simple study may be the first of its kind. While there are numerous studies demonstrating how specific care paths or specific in-home care elements can reduce re-admissions (e.g. dyad interventions for stroke survivors, nutritional intervention, A1c management, home nursing following coronary artery bypass graft, etc.), this is the first study we have ever seen or ever been able to find that simply measures the effect of normal Medicare home health in general on 30-day readmission rates. 

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