Latest KFF Health News Stories
A Guide To Medicare’s Readmissions Penalties And Data
The methodology behind KHN’s analysis of the third year of the Medicare penalty program.
364 Hospitals Have High Rates Of Overall Readmissions, New Medicare Data Show
Medicare’s new comprehensive measure of hospital readmissions shows that at least 20 percent of the hospitals in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island have higher rates of patients returning than the national average. Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah and Washington led the states with the highest proportion […]
Table: Hospitals Judged Best And Worst For Hip And Knee Readmissions And Complications
Medicare has evaluated how often patients undergoing hip and knee surgery were readmitted or suffered a serious complication. These hospitals did much better or worse than average.
Some Hospitals Turn To Post-Discharge Clinics To Help Hold Down Readmissions
A study finds that a third of adult patients discharged from a hospital don’t see a physician within 30 days — and experts say this is a key reason so many of them need to come back in.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature that details readers responses to recent KHN stories.
Armed With Bigger Fines, Medicare To Punish 2,225 Hospitals For Excess Readmissions
Penalties will total $227 million, but many hospitals will see their fines go down in October in the second year of the program.
Readmissions Penalties By State: Year Two
This chart lists state averages of readmission rates and the number of hospitals in each state that will be penalized.
Sources and Methodology: A Guide To Medicare’s Readmissions Data And KHN’s Analysis
Kaiser Health News’ data on hospital readmissions penalties comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Q&A: What Hospital Readmissions Statistics Mean For Consumers
This story comes from our partner The federal government began fining hospitals based on how many Medicare patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge in October. They track three specific conditions: heart failure, congestive heart failure and pneumonia. The goal is to improve the quality of care for seniors by preventing return trips to […]
Medicare Effort To Cut Readmissions Isn’t Counting Patients Who Come Back To ER
A study published Tuesday says Medicare may be missing factors that lead to post-hospital health problems because it isn’t counting many discharged patients who come back to the emergency room but aren’t admitted. The study in Annals of Emergency Medicine looked at 11,976 patients discharged from Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New […]
Medicare Revises Readmissions Penalties
More than 1,200 hospitals are receiving good news
Higher Hospital Readmissions Aren’t Linked To Fewer Deaths, Study Finds
The research bolsters Medicare’s efforts to prompt hospitals to reduce the number of patients who return quickly even though some experts assert that might be a sign of good care.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection.
Effort To Curb Medicare Spending Begins With Crackdown On Hospital Readmissions
The 2010 federal health law calls for penalties for hospitals with high rates of readmissions as the government seeks to trim spending in the the health program for the elderly and disabled.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We will edit for space, and we require full names.
Medicare Revises Hospitals’ Readmissions Penalties
Federal officials made small errors in calculating how much hospitals will be docked for having too many patients return within 30 days. Many hospitals will lose a bit more money under revised calculations.
Hospitals Need Networks To Prevent Readmissions
The federal government wants many hospitals to adopt a model like Denver Health, which keeps readmissions low through its own network of neighborhood clinics.
Medicare’s Pay For Performance Effort Begins, Targeting Quality and Readmissions
Monday is the start of the federal fiscal year, and with it begins Medicare’s biggest effort yet at paying for performance. Starting Oct. 1, Medicare is withholding 1 percent of its regular hospital reimbursements in the new Value-Based Purchasing Program, which was created by the 2010 health care law. Over the course of the year, […]
Hospital Readmission Rates Dropping Slightly, New Study Finds
A new government analysis has found that hospital readmission rates of Medicare patients have fallen more than previously reported, bolstering hope that hospitals are having some success at tackling this stubborn and expensive problem. Hospital readmissions have been getting extensive attention as a new penalty program kicks in next month, which will cost hospitals as […]
Hospitals Tally Likely Costs From New Readmissions Penalties
Across the country, hospitals are estimating how much money they are going to forfeit when Medicare’s new penalties for excess readmissions kick in. Hospitals are also issuing divergent verdicts on whether they think the program is a good idea or not. Starting in October, 2,211 hospitals will lose a portion of their regular Medicare reimbursements […]
