What is it about?
This is a report of the impact on 30-day readmission rates of a heart failure management program that was put in place as part of a CMS demonstration project that investiagte whether accountable care organizations could reduce health care costs while improving quality.
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Why is it important?
The St. John's heart failure management program resulted in significantly fewer 30-day readmissions over an extended period of time (5 years) compared to the preceding 5 years. There was also some indication that the program favorably affected 30-day death rates as well. These results were achieved primarily because of case management although the constellation of interventions that made up the program probably contributed as well.
Perspectives
There are many reports in the medical literature on programs to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure but there are few, if any, that report on results in patient populations of this size over an extended follow up period (5 years). The field needs information of this type as providers venture into alternative payment models that offer payment for value rather than volume. We all need to understand what works and why. Providers won't be able to afford to "shot gun" their approach; they need to spend their intervention dollars wisely.
Dr Joseph P Drozda
Mercy Health System
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Heart Failure Readmission Reduction, American Journal of Medical Quality, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1062860616637684.
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