Medicare Beneficiaries With Post-Discharge Home Health Have Lower Readmission Rate In New Jersey

Among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries discharged from a New Jersey hospital in 2014, those who received home health care services had an average 17.2% 30-day readmission rate, which was lower than the 19.7% statewide average readmission rate. Among those who were referred to home health but refused the service, the readmission rate was 24.5%. The disparity in readmission rates was higher among beneficiaries with four or more chronic health conditions, with readmission rates at 23.7% for those who received home health services, compared to 31.8% from those who refused home health care . . .