By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Readmissions and Consumer Engagement
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > Readmissions and Consumer Engagement
Health ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Readmissions and Consumer Engagement

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

The term “consumer engagement” is bandied about a lot these days. Often the term doesn’t mean all that much –just a consumer logging onto a wellness website or reading a handout they picked up at the office. It’s pretty hard to get a healthy person involved in their health, and there are plenty of clinicians who are still happy to have unengaged patients who don’t ask questions and don’t challenge authority. They might talk about consumer engagement but they don’t really mean it.

The term “consumer engagement” is bandied about a lot these days. Often the term doesn’t mean all that much –just a consumer logging onto a wellness website or reading a handout they picked up at the office. It’s pretty hard to get a healthy person involved in their health, and there are plenty of clinicians who are still happy to have unengaged patients who don’t ask questions and don’t challenge authority. They might talk about consumer engagement but they don’t really mean it.

The Wall Street Journal  has an excellent article today (Need Surgery? You Might Have to Get Healthier First) that documents how hospitals and physicians are responding to new incentives –including penalties for readmissions and incentives for cost control and quality– to engage with surgical patients about their health and decisions.

Providers are putting into practice the evidence that smoking, nutrition, blood suger and medications are important drivers of surgical outcomes. They are trying hard to get patients to stop smoking, get their blood pressure under control and so on in order to get better results. And they’re moving away from so-called “defensive medicine” –and are thinking twice before ordering routine tests for people who likely don’t need them. From the article:

More Read

What You Should Know Before Filling A Wrongful Death Claim
What Colonoscopies Cost (and Why)
HealthCare.gov’s Security Issues: Did Government Put ePatients’ Health Data Privacy at Risk?
Have Robotic Clinical Guidelines Claimed Another Victim?
Are My Teeth Important? Here’s What To Know About Dental Care

Rather than take a “one-size-fits-all approach,” Dr. [Karen] Mauck [of Mayo Clinic] says, “in the 30 days before surgery, we should be looking at each patient, assessing their individual risks and making recommendations to get them through the period 30 days after surgery with the fewest complications.”

I’m impressed and pleasantly surprised to see organizations responding to the 30 day readmission rule in such an enlightened manner. There’s a genuine need to engage the patient to optimize outcomes and I’m glad to see providers picking up the ball.

 


TAGGED:patient engagementreadmissions
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025
AI in Healthcare
AI in Healthcare: Technology is Transforming the Global Landscape
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
October 1, 2025
Choosing the Right Swimwear for Health and Safety
News
September 30, 2025
sports concussions
Concussion In Sports: How Common They Are And What You Need To Know
Infographics
September 28, 2025

You Might also Like

HPI Safety Summit
Medical Education

HPI Safety Summit: Communication Key Component of High Reliability Journey

November 12, 2014
Health careWellness

5 Vital Things To Know About Ambulatory Detoxification

January 23, 2019
Health careWellness

4 Ways to Stay Healthy While Working in Healthcare

July 16, 2018
Health careMedical Devices

What Goes Into The Cost Of A CT Scanner?

October 11, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?