Super Fitness Health BlogReasons to weigh-in on: hospital readmissions with readmission reduction programs.
A significant problem in today’s medical system is hospital readmission. When patients must return for further care, it is said that they are readmitted to the hospital.
Hospital readmissions have many disadvantages. For the patient, hospital readmissions can be stressful and frustrating. They require large amounts of time and effort. This stress is especially frustrating when the patient did not expect to have to return to the hospital. Hospital readmissions are also a problem for medical institutions. They add further expenditure, crowd hospitals, and overwork doctors. As more patients fill hospitals, doctors have less time and fewer resources to devote to every sufferer.
Hospital readmissions have many causes. Sometimes, the patient can be blamed for hospital readmission. Laziness and inattentiveness regarding rehabilitation or medication is very likely to cause hospital readmission. After many procedures or illnesses, the patient has a great responsibility to follow the doctor’s instructions after leaving the hospital. When these instructions are not followed, a return to the hospital should not be a surprise.
Patients are not always at fault when hospital readmissions occur. Doctors are responsible for providing the motivation and instruction each patient needs to succeed outside of the hospital. Also, a doctor might not notice circumstances or situations which make a recurrence of the disease more likely.
Because recurrence of medical conditions can be unpredictable, many cases of hospital readmissions are not preventable. However, reducing preventable cases of hospital readmissions is important so that patients with unpreventable conditions can get the attention they need.
One way of reducing hospital readmissions is through a care transition program. In this program, patients are encouraged and directed in their transition from hospital to home. With more regular medicine and a welcoming environment, many patients in these programs do not have to return to the hospital.
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