3.8 million. That’s the number of 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions among adults each year, according to AHRQ. 

Heart failure is among the top five conditions for initial admissions. This condition also has the highest number and highest rate of readmissions for both Medicaid and self-pay/no-charge stays, per AHRQ. 

Here are four more facts you need to know about hospital readmissions:  

1. 1. Twenty percent of hospital readmissions among adult patients are associated with four conditions: sepsis, heart failure, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary disease (COPD).

2. 2. The overall cost of avoidable hospital readmissions is between $15 billion and $20 billion annually. The average cost of a single readmission for a patient on Medicare is $15,000. This harms health providers and payers where it hurts: cost, quality, and clinical outcomes. It’s also stressful for patients and members who would prefer to be on the journey to wellness.

3. 3. The average readmission rate is 14%.

4. 4. Nearly 17% of readmissions are covered by Medicare. That’s the highest rate of readmissions across payer types.  

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement points to three ways to reduce avoidable readmissions. These include:   

1. 1. Improve core discharge planning and transition processes related to hospital stays.

2. 2. Improve transitions and care coordination between care settings.

3. 3. Enhance coaching, education, and support for patient self-management.

To reduce hospital readmissions, health systems and health insurers make outbound calls to patients and members when they’re discharged from the hospital. However, care managers are already fielding 50 to 100 calls per day. 

EmpowerHealth can help. Health insurers, hospitals, and practices partner with EmpowerHealth to cover the same key points with patients as a live agent, which makes your contact center agents more productive. 

Every single day, our clients rely on EmpowerHealth to deliver multi-modal conversation and augmented intelligence to support the health and well-being of their patients and members.  

EmpowerHealth is proven: One of our large national payer client’s netted $62 million in clinical and operational savings over 18 months.  

We’re optimizing engagement, navigation, and education for our clients, while reducing the cost of care. By identifying and addressing care gaps in real time, our clients capture care opportunities and boost quality, while improving intervention for members and patients who need it. 

Let’s talk today!