Hospital Readmissions Drop To 17.8%, CMS Attributes Decline To Affordable Care Act

During the last half of 2012, the 30-day all-cause hospital readmission rate was 17.8%; down from the 19% average readmission rate over the past five years. Since 2008, the 30-day all-cause hospital readmission rate has fluctuated between 18.5% and 19.5%. The drop in readmission rates translates to about 70,000 fewer readmissions in 2012. In a recent Senate hearing, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) attributed this decline to payment and delivery reforms enacted in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). CMS reported the readmission rate . . .