CHF and Hospital Readmissions Congestive heart failure is a growing chronic condition in the United States that accounts for approximately 11 million physician office visits and 875,000 hospitalizations (Heart Failure Statistics). Further complicating the issue, 25% of these patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge and at least 50% are readmitted within six months (Cost considerations in the treatment of heart failure). The intensity of the disease process poses a financial strain on both the patient and the payers, especially Medicare, as 3.6 million of these patients are 60 years or older and therefore a Medicare beneficiary. Consequently, in order to gain control over this chronic disease and its cost burden, the government
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Consequently, unhealthy behaviors like smoking, increased intake of fat, cholesterol and salt, sedentary life style and obesity contribute to heart failure. In an attempt control these risk factors, the state implemented public health actions, in which they strategized how to improve America’s health by promoting activity in schools and worksites with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. The Department of Health and Human Services started the Million Hearts campaign in which they set a goal to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017 (CDC). Despite these efforts, congestive heart failure numbers remain on the rise and with the aging baby boomer population, congestive heart failure cases are expected to increase …show more content…
This policy originally focused its attention on three main conditions that, when treated appropriately, should not have cause for readmissions: heart attacks, pneumonia and heart failure. Under this policy, when a hospital exceeds the national average of hospital readmission rates, they are penalized by a reduction in Medicare payment on all Medicare admissions, not just those that were readmitted (Fewer hospital u-turns). The greater the excess rate, the higher the penalty which is then listed annually in the Federal Register which is posted on the Medicare website (Fewer hosp u-turns). In 2013, the maximum penalty was 1% and 64% of the hospitals were penalized with 8% at the maximum penalty, which resulted in $290 million of total penalties. By 2014, the maximum penalty was increased to 2%. 66% of the hospitals were penalized however the maximum penalty decreased to 0.6%. By 2015, the maximum penalty was increased to 3% (Fewer
Consequently, unhealthy behaviors like smoking, increased intake of fat, cholesterol and salt, sedentary life style and obesity contribute to heart failure. In an attempt control these risk factors, the state implemented public health actions, in which they strategized how to improve America’s health by promoting activity in schools and worksites with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. The Department of Health and Human Services started the Million Hearts campaign in which they set a goal to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017 (CDC). Despite these efforts, congestive heart failure numbers remain on the rise and with the aging baby boomer population, congestive heart failure cases are expected to increase …show more content…
This policy originally focused its attention on three main conditions that, when treated appropriately, should not have cause for readmissions: heart attacks, pneumonia and heart failure. Under this policy, when a hospital exceeds the national average of hospital readmission rates, they are penalized by a reduction in Medicare payment on all Medicare admissions, not just those that were readmitted (Fewer hospital u-turns). The greater the excess rate, the higher the penalty which is then listed annually in the Federal Register which is posted on the Medicare website (Fewer hosp u-turns). In 2013, the maximum penalty was 1% and 64% of the hospitals were penalized with 8% at the maximum penalty, which resulted in $290 million of total penalties. By 2014, the maximum penalty was increased to 2%. 66% of the hospitals were penalized however the maximum penalty decreased to 0.6%. By 2015, the maximum penalty was increased to 3% (Fewer