Admissions, Readmissions, History of Reform & Admissions

This feature, called “News Updates” is designed to keep you up to date with current developments relating to the Acute Care Continuum. Today we present you with five stories.

We invite you to post your perspective on these stories and to share articles that you have found relevant.

The Growing Role of Emergency Departments in Hospital Admissions

The New England Journal of Medicine (July, 2012) reports on the growing role of Emergency Medicine in hospital admissions, arguing that this trend is unlikely to be reversed and should be taken into account by health care policy makers. Along similar lines, a study from the Perelman School of Medicine (March, 2012) makes the case that emergency physicians and hospitalists together govern decisions for the most expensive care in the healthcare setting, that of the hospital. The authors stress that ED physicians and hospitalists need to work together to create protocols for patient assessment and care, as well as to develop “clinically and fiscally driven policies” for evaluating hospital admissions.

44 Benchmarks on Hospital Readmissions

Beckers (September, 2012) recently took a look at admissions and published an analysis of 44 benchmarks on hospital readmissions. Included are tools to identify both readmissions risks and common strategies to prevent readmissions.

Healthcare Reform Then, and Now

Taking a longer view, HealthLeaders Media compares healthcare reform from the days of managed care in the 1990’s to today, and concludes that while there are similarities, it is the differences and lessons learned that give the changes today a better shot at succeeding.

And Now — What Everybody Has Been Talking About!

60 Minutes (CBS, December 2, 2012) reported allegations about up-coding and excessive hospital admissions in Hospitals: The Cost of Admission. In their video they claim that 10% of all hospital expenses are unnecessary tests and treatments. They focus on the practices of Health Management Associates, the fourth largest hospital group in the nation, with $5.8 billion in revenue last year. Through interviews with over a hundred current and former employees, 60 Minutes investigates hospital reimbursement policy and the pressures that have allegedly led to unnecessary treatments.

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News Updates — Admissions, Readmissions, History of Reform and Admissions Again

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