On July 9, 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it has added data regarding hospital readmission rates to Medicare's Hospital Compare website.
Specifically, the Hospital Compare website now provides hospital readmission rates for patients readmitted within 30 days following admission for a heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. In doing so, the website compares a hospital's readmission rate for each of these conditions with the U.S. national rate and labels a hospital as being "Better than," "No different than," or "Worse than" the national rate.
Further, in CMS's Press Release, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius states that "[t]he President and Congress have both identified the reduction of readmissions as a target area for health reform." According to CMS, the U.S. national 30 day readmission rate for the 3 conditions is:
- Heart Attack - 19.9%
- Heart Failure - 24.5%
- Pneumonia - 18.2%
CMS also reports that the Hospital Compare website has been updated to provide better data on previously posted mortality rates. For more information, see CMS's Press Release and Fact Sheet.
