Preventing heart failure readmissions: is your organization prepared?

Many hospitals and health care systems are focusing on improving performance and patient outcomes in cardiovascular services, with a particular emphasis on how the management of heart failure can prevent readmissions, decrease the cost per case, and improve the quality and satisfaction for this particular patient population. Quality outcomes and optimal lifestyle management of chronic care diseases, such as heart failure (HF), will be deciding factors in patient choice about health care providers and systems. Implementing heart failure programs or heart failure readmission reduction strategies are undertakings that require significant analysis, planning, preparation, and execution. Given the significant volumes of HF readmissions, as well as numerous potential policy changes focused on reducing costs, properly aligning incentives, and improving quality, HF may be an ideal place to start to begin initiatives around readmission reduction. For an organization to identify and execute appropriate strategies, a structured approach to assessment and implementation can ensure the highest likelihood of success.