Strategies to Reduce Readmissions
Read time: 4 minutes
For patients, being readmitted to the hospital after returning home can be very disappointing. In addition to disappointment, patients who are readmitted face longer recovery times, financial impacts, and higher risks of complications.
Readmissions can negatively impact hospitals, too. Hospitals with high readmission rates may face financial penalties from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). High readmission rates can also contribute to poor patient reviews — both online and word-of-mouth — which can deter potential patients from choosing those hospitals.
Reducing readmissions can be tough since many of the leading causes are beyond a hospital's control. However, there are many steps a hospital can take to help reduce readmissions.
The goal of patient engagement and education is to activate the patient’s ability — and desire — to manage their own healthcare plan.
When providers implement a collaborative healthcare plan that involves the patient and their caregivers, patients are more likely to follow their care plans and have better outcomes.
Give patients an opportunity to collaborate throughout their healthcare journey, especially during admission, transition of care, and discharge. Make the most of these opportunities by encouraging patients (and caregivers) to ask questions and share what is most important to them.
Here are more tips to encourage patient engagement:
Take the time to truly understand the patient’s needs, concerns, and goals.
Communicate with personalized attention. Sit down and make eye contact with patients when talking.
Listening sincerely.
Providing a written treatment plan that addresses the patient’s specific concerns.
Patient Engagement
Quick Tip
Address CPAP compliance. Readmissions triple when patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) don’t wear their CPAP at home. In the US, OSA affects 33.9% of men and 17.4% of women.
Patient education goes hand-in-hand with engagement because patients who understand their conditions and treatments are more likely to engage in their care plans. Here are some ideas to help you teach your patients about their care:
Communicate clearly and concisely, using simple language. Avoid medical jargon, and explain complex information using simpler terms.
Assess each patient’s learning style and provide information in the format they best understand. For example, use drawings, videos, or other visual aids if a patient doesn’t understand verbal information.
Use the “teach-back” method. Ask patients to explain back to you what they understood about the information you gave them to ensure comprehension.
Make sure patients understand their conditions and treatment options. They should know what to expect during their recovery and the steps they can take to help ensure the best outcome.
Proactively address communication issues that could block understanding, like language and hearing barriers. Language barriers can impair decision-making autonomy. Patient Guide Solutions can help with Spanish translations of our patient education materials.
Patient Education
Fast Fact
Twenty percent of all readmissions are attributed to just four conditions: heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, diabetes, and sepsis.
Research shows that a comprehensive discharge plan can make a difference in reducing readmissions. Try these strategies to help improve your discharge plan:
Asses the patient for discharge readiness.
Identify patients at a higher readmission risk due to social and economic factors or functional difficulties and suggest resources to help them adhere to their treatment plan.
Give written medication information. Promote medication adherence by addressing potential roadblocks to obtaining medications. Or, utilize a “Meds to Beds” program to help reduce readmissions.
Consider comprehensive discharge solutions for patients with conditions at high-risk for readmission, like heart failure and diabetes.
Tell patients what to expect during their recovery, like normal symptoms versus red flags that necessitate medical attention.
Make follow-up appointments before the patient leaves the hospital, and give the patient written details for these appointments. One study examining readmissions found that half of patients who had been rehospitalized within 30 days had not seen a doctor after discharge.
Engage with patients after discharge. A study found a 33% decrease in 30-day readmissions when patients were contacted for a check-in after discharge.
Tip: Don’t forget to extend personalization to discharge teaching. Patients who get individualized discharge teaching are readmitted 11% less. The patient education from Patient Guide Solutions can help.
The Discharge Difference
Support engagement and outcomes by ensuring patients can contact their healthcare team with questions, get in for appointments, and obtain prescriptions and supplies. Patients who can’t get what they need won’t be able to follow their healthcare plan or address small problems before they get worse.
Open Access
Reducing hospital readmissions is easier when patients become your partners. When you prioritize patient education, engagement, communication, and trust, you not only give patients the tools and confidence they need to manage their health. Your hospital benefits, too.