Dr. Eric Genden - "How to Reduce Readmission Rates for Otolaryngology Patients"
Healthcare systems today have embraced early readmissions-defined as admission within 30 days of discharge-as a valid metric for quality of care (JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. July 23, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2015.1323). Unplanned hospital readmissions are costly, can reflect poor quality index hospital care, and can lower patient quality of life. Eric Genden, MD, Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Director of the Head and Neck Institute at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, advises perfecting care across the continuum. "The fact that academic centers and community physicians are two separate entities significantly contributes to readmissions," he said. His center implemented three programs in the last seven years that have lowered readmission rates substantially. The programs strongly rely on the hospital's relationship with community physicians. Read more.