Dive Brief:
- A project aimed at reducing readmissions and cutting down on surgery-related infections has succeeded in reducing healthcare costs more than $45 million, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). The effort, known as Partners for Patients, is a collaborative project between the WHA and CMS.
- The 108 hospitals involved in the program cut surgical site infections by 37% between January 2012 and July 2013.
- The hospitals also saw a big improvement in readmission reduction, with the prevention of 3,556 readmissions, saving the participating hospitals $34 million. As a result of the deductions, 63% of eligible Wisconsin hospitals will not be penalized for readmissions by CMS.
Dive Insight:
Reducing readmissions is a key focus for hospitals now that CMS has begun penalizing facilities when readmission rates exceed preset goals. And while penalizing hospitals for higher readmission rates may be a blunt instrument useful only for clubbing hospitals, not helping them, it does seem to be motivating hospital leaders to study sources of readmissions and reduce such readmissions aggressively. Is it possible were looking at a win-win here?