Posted: October 6th, 2023

What implications does readmission have on the hospital, and on the patient?

Discuss what resources are available for chronic cardiorespiratory issues to support patient independence and prevent readmission. Explain how readmission affects reimbursement. What implications does readmission have on the hospital, and on the patient? Explain how being readmitted affects getting paid. What does a patient’s return to the hospital mean for the hospital and for them?.
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Chronic cardiorespiratory issues are conditions that affect the heart and lungs, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, and asthma. These conditions can limit the patient’s ability to perform daily activities, reduce their quality of life, and increase their risk of hospitalization. Therefore, it is important to provide adequate resources and support for these patients to help them manage their symptoms, improve their functional capacity, and prevent readmission.

Some of the resources that are available for chronic cardiorespiratory patients include:

– Self-management education: This involves teaching the patient about their condition, how to monitor their symptoms, how to use their medications, how to cope with stress, and how to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. Self-management education can empower the patient to take an active role in their care and improve their self-efficacy and confidence.
– Pulmonary rehabilitation: This is a comprehensive program that includes exercise training, breathing techniques, nutritional counseling, smoking cessation, and psychosocial support. Pulmonary rehabilitation can improve the patient’s exercise tolerance, lung function, dyspnea, fatigue, and quality of life.
– Home-based care: This involves providing the patient with regular visits from health professionals, such as nurses, physiotherapists, or social workers, who can assess the patient’s condition, provide education and counseling, coordinate care, and facilitate referrals. Home-based care can reduce the patient’s isolation, enhance their adherence to treatment, and prevent complications.
– Telehealth: This is the use of technology, such as phone calls, video calls, or remote monitoring devices, to deliver health care services to the patient at a distance. Telehealth can enable the patient to access timely and convenient care, receive feedback and guidance from health professionals, and reduce travel costs and barriers.

These resources can help the patient achieve greater independence and reduce their need for hospitalization. However, if the patient is readmitted within 30 days of discharge, this can have negative consequences for both the patient and the hospital. Readmission can affect reimbursement in several ways:

– Medicare penalizes hospitals for having high readmission rates for certain conditions, such as COPD and heart failure. This means that hospitals lose a percentage of their Medicare payments for each readmitted patient.
– Private insurers may also impose financial penalties or incentives for hospitals based on their readmission rates or quality measures.
– Readmission can increase the cost of care for both the hospital and the patient, as it may involve additional tests, treatments, or procedures that could have been avoided with proper follow-up care.

Readmission also has implications for the hospital’s reputation and performance, as it may indicate poor quality of care or patient satisfaction. Moreover, readmission can have adverse effects on the patient’s health and well-being, such as:

– Increased risk of infection or complications
– Worsening of symptoms or functional status
– Loss of continuity of care or social support
– Reduced trust in the health care system or providers
– Increased stress or anxiety
– Decreased quality of life

Therefore, it is essential to prevent readmission by providing effective and coordinated care for chronic cardiorespiratory patients across the continuum of care. This can benefit both the hospital and the patient by improving outcomes, reducing costs, and enhancing satisfaction.

Works Cited

Bourbeau J., et al. “Reducing Hospital Utilization in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” Annals of Internal Medicine 146.8 (2007): 585–593.

Holland R., et al. “Home-Based Support for Discharged Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 12 (2017): 2349–2362.

Krumholz H.M., et al. “Hospital Readmission after Discharge for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: A Target for Quality Improvement.” American Heart Journal 144.4 (2002): 698–704.

Spruit M.A., et al. “An Official American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society Statement: Key Concepts and Advances in Pulmonary Rehabilitation.” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 188.8 (2013): e13–e64.