Word on Health was shocked to learn that 1 in 10 adult Medicaid patients who were hospitalized in 2007 for a medical condition, other than childbirth, had to be readmitted at least once within 30 days of their initial hospital stay.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality also reported that Medicaid patients are 70% more likely to be readmitted compared with their privately insured counterparts.
The number of underlying health problems appears to correlate with the frequency of readmission. For example, 14% of Medicaid patients with 3 or more underlying health problems were readmitted compared with 10% of those who had no other health problems.
These high hospital readmission rates have been drawing increasing attention from policymakers because they have a significant impact on health care costs. Additionally, they may reflect issues with the standards of health care provided in hospitals as well as a lack of discharge planning and outpatient follow-up.
SRxA has developed a number of innovative disease education and patient management programs specifically designed to:
- improve health
- increase adherence and compliance to medical advice and medications
- decrease the health care burden to society.
Contact us today for further information.
SRxA's Word on Health 