Soaring Medicare Costs for Unplanned Hospitalizations Underscore Need to Reduce Readmissions
- According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 1 in 5 hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries were readmitted within 30 days after discharge. Unplanned rehospitalizations cost Medicare $17.4 billion in 2004.
- The Project BOOST toolkit has been downloaded more than 4,000 times.
- Project BOOST has been implemented at more than 150 sites nationwide.
- Early data from six sites that have implemented Project BOOST reveal a reduction in 30-day readmission rates to 11.2% from 14.2%, as well as a 21% reduction in 30-day, all-cause readmission rates.
Source: www.hospitalmedicine.org
