CMS Observes “Noticeable” Reduction in Hospital Readmissions in 2012

​Although the reasons for the decline are not yet apparent, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates in the most recent issue of Medicare & Medicaid Research Review that 30-day hospital readmissions declined by just over 3% in 2012 from the previous five-year average. The report examines two groups of hospital data. For hospitals participating in the Partnership for Patients initiative, 30-day readmission rates are estimated to have fallen from 19.0% to 18.4%; for other hospitals, rates are estimated to have fallen from 19.2% to 18.6%.