Philadelphia Area Program Cuts Hospital Readmissions By 7 Percent
By Molly Daly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An ambitious program involving 150 health care professionals in the Delaware Valley has helped reduce hospital readmissions by seven percent, saving $3.8 million in unnecessary health care costs, according to project officials.
The Health Care Improvement Foundation's 18-month "PAVE" program ("Preventing AVoidable Episodes: Smoothing the Way for Better Transitions") is aimed at preventing rehospitalization through a combination of patient education and coordination among health care providers.
Project director Patty Yurchick says one facet focused on helping patients manage their medications.
"One of the main reasons patients get readmitted is that they don't understand their medications," Yurchick tells KYW Newsradio. "And sometimes there's miscommunication about their medications and confusion about what they should be taking and how much."
Improving communications between patient and provider can make a world of difference, she says:
"You teach the patient in words that he or she can understand, and then you ask the patient to
repeat it back."
Although high Medicare readmission rates will result in penalties for hospitals starting next fall, the PAVE program didn't just focus on Medicare patients.
"We decided to make it for all comers, because in the end, everyone will benefit," says Yurchick.
