CMS Releases Guide to Preventing Readmissions for Racially, Ethnically Diverse Beneficiaries
Patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups may be more likely than others to be readmitted after discharge—particularly if they have chronic conditions, such as pneumonia or heart failure or have suffered a heart attack. Many times, it’s social, cultural, or linguistic barriers that lead to those readmissions, according to the CMS Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH).
To help healthcare practitioners combat these issues and help minority patients improve their health, CMS OMH released the “Guide to Preventing Readmissions among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Medicare Beneficiaries.” It’s designed to help hospitals identify the reasons why readmissions occur among this group of patients and to find solutions to help prevent them.
“CMS has an important opportunity and a critical role in preventing hospital readmissions while promoting health equity among diverse Medicare beneficiaries,” said Cara James, director of CMS’ Office of Minority Health in a written release. “This guide encourages action-oriented steps and solutions in achieving health equity, addresses reducing readmissions and focuses on our initiative of achieving better care, smarter spending, and healthier people throughout our health care system.”
Inside the guide, organizations will find the following:
- Guidance on addressing avoidable readmissions based on CMS OMH findings about the causes of readmissions
- Seven recommendations for success
- Initiatives and strategies that hospitals can use