National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 1 of 1 Research Studies DisplayedHoffman GJ, Yakusheva O
Association between financial incentives in Medicare's hospital readmissions reduction program and hospital readmission performance.
This study compared the outcome of penalties versus rewards to prevent hospital readmission in Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP). This retrospective cohort study used Medicare readmissions data from 2823 US short-term acute care hospitals participating in HRRP. Data from pre-HRRP in 2016 was compared with 2016-2019 3-year follow-up readmission performance classified by tertile of hospitals using baseline marginal incentives for 5 HRRP-targeted conditions: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and hip and/or knee surgery. Of the 2823 hospitals participating in HRRP from baseline to follow-up, 81% had more than 1 excess readmission for 1 or more applicable condition and 19% did not. Financial incentives ranged from a mean range of $8762 to $58,158 per 1 avoided readmission. Hospitals with greater incentives for readmission avoidance had greater decreases than hospitals with smaller incentives. An additional $5000 in the incentive amount was associated with up to a 26% decrease in readmissions. The findings suggest that incentives work better than penalties to reduce hospital readmissions for those 5 conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025838.
Citation: Hoffman GJ, Yakusheva O .
Association between financial incentives in Medicare's hospital readmissions reduction program and hospital readmission performance.
JAMA Netw Open 2020 Apr;3(4):e202044. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.2044..
Keywords: Medicare, Hospital Readmissions, Provider Performance, Payment, Health Insurance, Hospitals