Home Health & Hospice Week

Looking for a way to convince hospitals that they should partner with you to reduce readmissions? A new study may help. More than 40 percent of all patients who experience complications after surgery experience them at home, according to a study in the November issue of the journal Archives of Surgery. Three-fourths of those complications occur within 14 days of pa-tients leaving the hospital, says the study's abstract. Keeping patients in the hospital longer isn't the answer, physician Mark Williams, a professor at Northwestern University, told National Public Radio in a story about the study. Doctors need to do a better job of monitoring and making sure their patients understand what they need to do at home to prevent infections and other complications. That's where home care providers come in, industry advocates point out. In addition to improving quality of care, home care will help hospitals avoid payment reductions for [...]