Download or read book Program Evaluation of Implementing Follow-up Calls to Reduce 30 Day Readmissions written by Laura Lowe and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The information gathered through post-hospital discharge calls can serve as a catalyst for systematic changes in how care is delivered and communicated. Nearly 1 out of 8 patients discharged from a hospital report new or worse symptoms within 2-3 days after going home. Yet despite feeling worse, these patients are only minimally more likely to make follow-up appointments to address their new healthcare concerns. Readmission reduction is largely a new frontier, launched by changes in heathcare reimbursement incentives. Healthcare organizations are looking for sensible, targeted, and measureable approaches to manage the problem of readmissions. Readmissions are a demonstratable problem. Nearly 1 in every 5 Medicare patients admitted to a hospital in a year is readmitted within 30 days. By 90 days, the rate increases to 1 in 3. The cost to Medicare of these readmissions alone was $18 billion in 2007. Health promotion and illness prevention are integral components of the newest approaches to healthcare delivery. Many readmissions are related to medication safety events and readmissions are costly to patients and 3rd party payers. With reimbursement now being tied to patient outcomes, reducing readmissions will be significant to this organization's net operating income. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model (JHNEBP) was used for this project process. Dorothea E Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory offers the explanation that both internal and external conditions arising from or associated with health states of individuals can bring about action limitation of individuals to engage in care of self. Readmissions from pre-implementation of discharge follow-up phone calls were compared to post implementation of the calls. For the intermediate outcome, there would be a desired downward trend of readmissions. Post-visit phone calls improve clinical outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, and decrease costly and unnecessary return visits to the emergency department as well as readmissions to hospitals.