Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Buzz Words in Health Care

"App" and "austerity" were among the 2010 "words of the year" named by a dialect society and dictionary, respectively. In health care, "readmissions" is a likely choice. With the 30-day readmission rate for Medicare patients at nearly 20 percent, U.S. hospitals are working to reduce avoidable readmissions and, in turn, improve quality and decrease costs. Harlingen, Texas?home to Valley Baptist Medical Center?was one of 14 communities selected to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Care Transitions Project, aimed to reduce and eliminate unnecessary readmissions. Valley Baptist?s work included engaging staff and physicians and increasing their awareness of the importance of avoiding readmissions. This included efforts to schedule follow-up appointments for patients within seven days of discharge. The hospital identified high-risk patients and improved patient education and discharge instructions. In addition, Valley Baptist works with home health agencies to increase home visits to patients. Patients learn to better manage their condition in their own homes instead of returning to the hospital. From 2008 to 2010, the 586-bed hospital reduced its readmission rate by 4.2 percent. For more information, contact Teri Retana, assistant vice president for marketing and communications, at Teri.Retana@valleybaptist.net.