Complimentary from the publishers of ReadmissionsNews                May 14, 2013
	"CMS recently proposed to add hip and knee replacement to the list of procedures subject to penalties as part of the readmission reduction program. If enacted, the change would penalize providers whose patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their joint replacement procedure. This proposal will likely spark controversy because readmissions rates associated with these procedures are already low, and the readmissions that do occur are often attributed to complications stemming from a patient’s comorbidities -- for example, heart disease -- rather than the actual procedure. ” Ashley Ford, Senior Consultant, Research and Insights, The Advisory Board Company
	San Francisco Bay Area hospitals recently announced ... participating hospitals had reduced the number of readmitted patients by more than 3,300 during 2011 and 2012. Besides improving outcomes for these discharged patients, the 11 percent reduction in readmissions also saved an estimated $32 million in medical costs. Excerpted from: Readmissions News, Volume 2, Number 5, May 2013, 3,300 Drop in SF Readmissions Reflects Growing Momentum of Collaborative Effort
	Biting the All-Cause Readmissions Bullet HealthLeaders Media, May 13, 2013
	Robotic Checklist Used in GYN Cases Shown to Reduce Readmissions? Summa Health System Press Release, May 6, 2013
	Readmissions Penalties Not the Answer, Some Hospitals Maintain National Association of Urban Hospitals, May 2, 2013
	Acute Care Readmission Reduction Initiatives: Major Program Highlights Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation, May 2013
	Comparing 2 Methods of Assessing 30-Day Readmissions
	National Center for Biotechnology Information, April 17, 2013
	Identifying Post-Op Complications for Readmission in General Surgery ‎Physician's Weekly, April 14, 2013
	3,300 Drop in SF Readmissions Reflects Growing Momentum of Collaborative Effort By Bruce Spurlock, MDGetting a Grip on Readmissions Using Root Cause Analysis and FMEA By Robert J. Latino and Karen Fernandes, RN, CPHQ The Editor’s Corner: Nurse Communication Scores - Christina Dempsey, MSN, MBA, CNOR, CENP Patient Engagement: A Strategic Imperative for Preventing Readmissions by David Wright Thought Leader’s Corner:  “Hip and knee replacement surgery is scheduled to be added as a readmission measure by CMS in October. What are hospitals doing to reduce readmissions for these patients?” Industry News with briefs regarding National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems; Truven Health Analytic and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); BMJ Quality and Safety; Johns Hopkins University; Frontier Medicine Better Health Partnership (FMBHP) and Vree Health; and Harmony Information Systems Catching Up With…Saul Blair, MBA Click here to view page one of this issue Click here to subscribe to Readmissions News, or find out more
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