Medical care
-
Multicenter Study
The Impact of the Medicare Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in New York State.
Medicare's Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) created clear financial incentives for hospitals to prevent readmissions. Although existing evidence suggests readmission rates have been declining, the direct contribution of this policy to these reductions is unclear. Furthermore, it is unknown whether HRRP has produced unintended effects, including the substitution of outpatient hospital care for readmissions. ⋯ Our findings suggest that while readmissions have decreased in New York State, these declines may not be directly attributable to HRRP penalties. The policy did produce significant potentially unintended effects in the form of greater postdischarge ED utilization among facilities facing proportionally larger penalties.