CMS Pushes Readmission Reductions

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued 30 pages of guidance this week to hospitals to try and reduce readmissions of minority patients.

The agency’s focus on this particular subgroup is specifically because they tend to have more chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure and diabetes, than other populations. That puts them at greater risk of being readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of discharge, exacerbated even more by the greater likelihood they live in impoverished communities and have access to fewer community resources than other patients.

The publication, entitled “The Guide to Preventing Readmissions Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Medicare Beneficiaries,” urges hospitals to focus more on discharge and post-discharge planning with minority patients; find a primary care provider for such patients if they did not have one at the time of admission; and ensure patients that have limited English proficiency access to interpreters and other services that would better engage them with their providers.