Reducing 30-day Readmissions

Hospitals publicly report their rates of readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge to CMS and accrediting agencies such as the Joint Commission. If a hospital's readmission rate exceeds the established threshold, this can result in a decrease in reimbursement for Medicare patients, which negatively affects the hospital's financial performance.

Conduct a search for hospitals or health systems that publish their data about readmissions within 30 days of discharge; then, identify which of those mention the steps they have taken or the plans they have implemented to address the issue. 

Write a 2-3 paper (in APA format) that discusses the following points:

1. The reasons that contribute to patients being readmitted to the hospital. Mention utilization or quality data that was used to help identify contributing factors. 
2. The actions that the facility or system took to reduce readmission rates. Include the methodology used (if mentioned), such as case management or process improvement.
3. The effectiveness of the actions taken (did it lead to a decrease in readmissions)