Readmission Perspectives: A Review of Two Recent New England Journal of Medicine Articles

On Tuesday, the New York Times highlighted in bold relief the issue of preventable readmissions. According to the Times article, the United States could decrease readmissions if hospitals did more to educate patients and ensure they are able to care for themselves after discharge, as well as do a better job of coordinating care with other medical providers[1]. Not all readmissions are avoidable, however.  Sometimes a patient’s condition will worsen no matter what anyone does. This blog will focus on which readmissions are preventable.

Three well-known researchers, Dr. Karen Joynt with co-author Dr. Ashish Jha, and Dr. Robert Berenson, recently wrote separate articles in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on the topic of readmissions.[2],[3] Both articles discuss the efficacy and approach of providing payment incentives to reduce readmissions. The articles provide us with an opportunity to review the authors’ differing perspectives. Drs…