Lesley R. Yeung, an Associate in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was quoted by Wolters Kluwer Health Reform WK-EDGE, in “Are Readmissions Penalties Appropriate for Hospitals Treating Poorer Patients?”
Following is an excerpt:
… Lesley Yeung, an associate at Epstein Becker Green, said that hospitals had little financial incentive to reduce readmissions before the program, as they would lose revenue with lower admissions. She stated that discharge planning has improved since the implementation of the program with the addition of elements such as “education to the patient or caregiver, medication reconciliation and counseling, better coordination with outpatient providers, arrangements for follow-up care, and symptom monitoring through home visits, telephone support or telemonitoring.”