Patient re-admission is too expensive to swallow

Health care in America is exceedingly expensive, which means that any new programs that stem from health care reform have work cut out for them. Efficient practice of preventative medicine is significant, yet it is a category where America fails miserably. After just 30 days, says a 2009 New England Journal of Medicine study, about 20 percent of patients are ready to go back to the hospital for the exact same problem that previously required they be admitted. In 90 days, one-third of patients have bounced back into care for the exact same problems. What is possibly most disturbing is that after a year, two-thirds of patients are back in the hospital or dead. Resource for this article - Patient re-admission is as common as it is expensive by Newystype.com.

Constant re-admission is a tremendous financial drain

As outlined by the Huffington Post, the cost of Medicare was $17.4 billion in 2004. That gigantic figure forced Medicare to start monitoring hospitals in order to track the high re-admission rate problem. Those with high re-admit rates are financially penalized. This threat created a new industry, where businesses would extend their services to those hospitals in need of improvement. As various studies show that 75 percent of re-admissions are preventable, there appear to be numerous avenues through which hospitals could enact improvements in patient care.

Hospitals and nursing facilities point fingers at one one more

Lack of proper communication appears to be the common ingredient when it comes to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities providing sub-par care that leads to re-admission. Incomplete patient notes and post-care regimen instructions are definite problems. The problem grows significantly for those Medicaid patients who are older and are shuttled between general and intensive care facilities.

Medicare and private insurance work with blinders on

The Huffington Post cites an American Geriatric Society study that shows that Medicare and private insurance corporations are "pushing very hard" to have stroke rehab patients admitted to skilled nursing facilities instead of inpatient rehab centers. Lower original cost is the reason, but what the insurers fail to see is the significance of a re-admit rate that is seven times higher within the skilled nursing option. Couple the obvious cost difference with the proven statistical fact that patients who enter inpatient rehab facilities after a stroke are 3 times more likely to return home after care and the lack of vision on the part of Medicare and private insurance becomes particularly disturbing.

Get the answers you need

Left to their own devices, medical facilities will work to move patients out of care as quickly as possible. This is why it is vitally essential that patients (Medicare or otherwise) and their loved ones question doctors regarding the risk of re-admission, and for making certain they understand the necessary care going forward. If you'd like more information on what questions to ask, have a look at the Huffington Post article.