Medicare Hospital Readmissions at the Community Level

The Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program has been implemented in the United States for a five-year period. This study reviewed data associated with Medicare readmissions in the metropolitan area of Syracuse, New York during 2015 and 2016, the latest years available. The study data demonstrated that the total number of annual Medicare readmissions for the Syracuse hospitals increased from 2132 to 2202, while chain readmission rates declined from 8.30 to 7.65 as the at-risk population increased. The data also demonstrated that readmissions for diagnosis and procedure categories used in the Medicare program accounted for only 15 - 21 percent of total Medicare readmissions. The study suggested that the program should be expanded by including all Medicare readmissions and that it should employ more current data.