Significant variability in 30-day readmission rates among U.S. hospitals suggests that some are more successful than others at providing safe, high-quality inpatient care and promoting smooth transitions to follow-up care. A new report and case study series offer lessons from four hospitals with exceptionally low readmission rates. These hospitals seek to ensure patients experience smooth care transitions once they are discharged—thus avoiding the deterioration in health status that often brings patients back to the hospital. They also check in with high-risk patients after discharge and forge relationships with community providers. The profiled hospitals include: McKay-Dee Hospital Center in Ogden, Utah; Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center in Houston, Texas; Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and St. John's Regional Health Center in Springfield, Missouri.
