30-Day Readmission Rate Declines About 2 Percentage Points At Safety-Net Hospitals

The 30-day readmission rate at safety-net hospitals declined about 2% for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia from 2015-2016. At other hospitals, the readmission rate declined by about the same amount.  Compared to most hospitals, safety-net hospitals serve a relatively high proportion of low-income consumers who have a relatively high probability of readmission. During the four-year period, a readmission rates for safety net hospitals trended closer to those of other hospitals, which also improved during the period.

These findings were reported in “Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: Safety-Net Hospitals Show Improvement, Modifications To Penalty . . .