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Home Health Activities

Studies show that one in five Medicare patients requires readmission to the hospital within 30 days of their initial hospitalization. Moreover, CMS has reported that up to 75 percent of hospital readmissions are potentially preventable. Hospitals will be aggressively looking to avoid the financial penalties that will accompany readmission rates that are higher than the national average, and being able to prove that your home health agency can be a partner in this effort will strengthen demand for your services.

It is in home health agencies’ best interest to mitigate the instances of patient readmission to the hospital. The Affordable Care Act will impose financial penalties on hospitals with high rates of readmission, which means that a discharge planner’s referral could very well hinge on a home health organization’s record of accomplishment to preventing return hospital visits. Agencies that have low rates of hospital readmission will be more likely to succeed in the face of changing health care policies. Your home health organization would do well to begin tracking data that prove the agency’s impact on hospital readmission, including:
  • Readmission to the hospital
  • Admission to the ER
  • Readmission to the hospital following discharge from a skilled nursing facility
  • Functional status improvement from admission to discharge
  • Patient satisfaction
  • Falls

Some of the most common reasons for readmission to the hospital include missing follow up visits, confusion about medication, and having a poor understanding of symptoms that may be “red flags.” Home health agencies should use evidence-based practices to focus on these things.

Join the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign

Local Area Networks for Excellence LANE (Local Area Network for ExcellenceLANE Logo are stakeholder organizations that serve as the central hubs of grassroots activity in the Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign. LANEs are comprised of home health state associations, Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) and other leading home health organizations. These key campaign partners create campaign awareness, provide participant encouragement and facilitate communication among agencies. FMQAI is pleased to support the National Campaign with assisting home health agencies in improving healthcare quality for people with Medicare.

HHQI Logo Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign is a grassroots movement of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designed to unite home health stakeholders and multiple health care settings under the shared vision of reducing avoidable hospitalizations and improving medication management.
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