How can we prevent readmissions?

Let’s examine 7 strategies to reduce hospital readmissions:

1. 1) Understand Current Policy.
2. 2) Identify Patients at High Risk for Readmission.
3. 3) Utilize Medication Reconciliation.
4. 4) Prevent Healthcare-Acquired Infections.
5. 5) Optimize Utilization of Technology.
6. 6) Improve Handoff Communication.

What factors increase the risk for 30-day readmission in pneumonia?

Patients with medical conditions characterized by multiple exacerbations, such as COPD, heart failure, diabetes, and malignancy, will increase the proportion of unavoidable 30-day readmission rates for pneumonia.

What is the issue with hospital readmission regarding pneumonia?

Hospital readmissions among patients with pneumonia are frequent, costly, and potentially avoidable (1–5). Despite efforts to optimize inpatient care delivery, 30-day readmissions are estimated to occur in 17 to 25% of patients hospitalized for pneumonia, at a cost of $10 billion (2–5).

How do you prevent readmissions in COPD?

Interventions to reduce readmissions may need to expand beyond this single focus regarding COPD-specific treatments to also include improvements in patient education, behavior modification through health coaching, and facilitation of prompt access to outpatient healthcare expertise when needed to impact overall health …

How can we prevent ICU readmission?

Making discharge of patients safer, whether they are discharged home or to another ward in the hospital, is important in preventing readmission to the ICU. Many studies show that patients readmitted to the ICU have a higher mortality rate and longer hospital stay.

What are avoidable readmissions?

A Potentially Preventable Readmission (PPR) is a readmission (return hospitalization) to an acute care hospital following a prior acute care admission within a specified time interval, for a reason that is clinically related to the initial hospitalization.

How can you prevent pneumonia?

Drink warm beverages, take steamy baths and use a humidifier to help open your airways and ease your breathing. Contact your doctor right away if your breathing gets worse instead of better over time. Stay away from smoke to let your lungs heal. This includes smoking, secondhand smoke and wood smoke.

How do you prevent Covid pneumonia?

COVID-19 Pneumonia Prevention

1. Wash your hands often.
2. If you can’t wash your hands, use a hand sanitizer gel that’s at least 60% alcohol.
3. Try not to touch your face, mouth, or eyes until you’ve washed your hands.
4. Avoid anyone who’s sick.
5. Wear a cloth face mask if you have to go out.

How are hospitals penalized for readmissions?

Medicare counts as a readmission any of those patients who ended up back in any hospital within 30 days of discharge, except for planned returns like a second phase of surgery. A hospital will be penalized if its readmission rate is higher than expected given the national trends in any one of those categories.

Why do COPD patients have high readmission rates?

Although still the leading reason for readmission, the frequency of rehospitalization due to COPD was higher in patients initially discharged home without home care than in those discharged home with home care or to an SNF (31.1% vs 27.7% and 18.8%, respectively; P < . 001).

How could Nurses be influential in the prevention of hospital readmission?

Manage medications for patients and educate on proper scheduling of medication. Enhance communications with patients so the healthcare team can identify if further care is needed to avoid readmission. Provide patient training to avoid common illnesses that often lead to hospital readmission after a previous hospital …