Grantee Name
Mathematica Policy Research
Funding Area
Expanding Health Care Coverage
Publication Date
June 2012
Grant Amount
$289,660
Grant Date:
September 1, 2009–December 5, 2011
DOWNLOAD FULL REPORTHospital readmissions—patients returning to the hospital within 30 days of an initial hospital stay—cost Medicare $15 billion a year.
Nearly one in five Medicare patients is readmitted within 30 days, and similar ratios persist for privately insured patients. Reducing the rate of hospital readmissions has great potential to reduce health care costs and improve the quality of health care in New York State, as its residents use nearly 50% more hospital days than the national average. With support from NYHealth, Mathematica Policy Research (Mathematica) estimated the cost of readmissions and the impact of clinical and payment interventions on the rate and cost of readmissions.