The “patient carryover crisis”: Why hospital readmissions persist
In hospital boardrooms across America, the “30-day readmission rate” is treated as a financial vital sign. It determines reimbursement levels under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP); it influences star ratings; and increasingly, under new Department of Justice scrutiny, it serves as a barometer for potential “substandard care” investigations.
Yet, despite decades of regulation and millions spent on discharge planning software, the needle on preventable readmissions barely moves.
The industry is failing …
