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
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare elderly
    The Human Side of the Sequestration
    June 19, 2013
    Contagion Is Real
    October 7, 2011
    Is Patient Privacy Endangered by Online Search?
    July 12, 2013
    Latest News
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
    Do Abuse Reporting Systems in Assisted Living Protect Residents’ Health?
    April 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Reduce Hospital Readmission Rates or Else!
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 > Business > Hospital Administration > Reduce Hospital Readmission Rates or Else!
BusinessHospital Administration

Reduce Hospital Readmission Rates or Else!

Michael Kirsch
Last updated: April 29, 2013 7:11 am
Michael Kirsch
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

 

 

I attended a medical staff meeting recently.  These are required meetings and attendance is taken, as was done when we were in kindergarten.   While some folks are interested in these meetings’ content, many are not and simply sign the attendance sheet and then slither out in a stealth fashion.   Sly doctors grab their pagers and then leave hurriedly pretending that they were summoned to an urgent medical situation, when they are actually heading for Starbucks.  
 
One of the community hospitals I attend initiated a dastardly procedure when administrators would not post the attendance sign-in sheet until the conclusion of the medical staff meeting.   Under the threat of picketing, a massive walk out, letters to the local paper and other unspecified measures, the evil decree was rescinded. Who says that physicians have no power today?
 
Sadly, most of these meetings have nothing to do with making us better doctors.  The agendas are full of medical coding and billing issues. Hospitals are hyperventilating over an increasing burden of mandates issued from Mount Medicare to preserve reimbursement.   At present, if physicians and hospitals somehow make it through the labyrinth of hoops intact, they will accrue a very modest increase in revenue.  In the near future, failure to comply will result in punitive financial confiscation. 
 
 
Physicians who make it through get paid more.  
 
Every hospital is armed with utilization personnel that are trolling through the wards scouring charts trying to verify that the medical documentation supports the highest reimbursement possible.  I don’t fault the hospitals for this.  We follow a similar path in our office.  The hospital hoops we are forced through are described as a palladium to protect patients, although I continue to argue that the motivation is to control costs.
 
This blog has several posts that argue that the government’s Pay-for–Performance initiatives are scams that ironically decrease medical quality, rather than enhance it as promised. 
 
At this recent medical meeting, the speaker was instructing us that if patients with certain diagnoses are discharged and then readmitted within 30 days, that the hospital would be financially penalized.  Obviously, there are many legitimate reasons that a sick patient would need to be re-hospitalized within a month, but this issue warrants a separate blog post.
 
Here’s what I learned.   If a patient returns to the emergency room within 30 days of a hospital discharge, all personnel will be notified that this is a ‘patient of interest’ (my term).  Every effort will be made to choose any pathway, except admission, for reasons unrelated to medical quality.  In fairness, once patients are discharged, medical professionals will stay engaged with them to verify they are complying with medical appointments and medications which should prevent disease recurrence and readmission to the hospital.
I found it galling that strong effort would be undertaken to restrict admission of only those who were recently discharged from the hospital.  Shouldn’t stringent hospitalization criteria be used for every patient seen in the emergency room?  Is it a wonder why cynicism is metastasizing widely? 
 
This is but a single example of how the medical profession is being forced to game the system to comply with a punitive financial penalty system that is poorly disguised as a medical quality initiative.  Hospitals are ‘teaching to the test’ so that they and physicians look good on paper so more cash will trickle in.  However, medical quality means more than checking off certain boxes required by an army of officials who don’t practice medicine.
 
The public would be horrified how much time and resources are devoted to feed this bureaucratic beast.   Is any of this making me a better doctor?  This is easy to determine.  Let me see if this box is checked off. 
 
TAGGED:re-admissions
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025
The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
Health care
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

The Benefits of TJC Accreditation
BusinessHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Your 2015 Checklist for The Joint Commission (TJC)

January 13, 2015

Bone Density Tests – Too Many Not a Good Thing

March 17, 2012
physician referral building mistakes
Business

4 Physician Referral-Building Mistakes That Spoil Your Reputation

August 11, 2016

Amgen Lays Off 300 Employees–Company Profits Average over $5 Billion a Year

October 20, 2011
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?