Riverview Health
Riverview Health Press Release

Riverview Health Remains Penalty-Free on Readmission Rates

October 21, 2014

Riverview Health is pleased to announce it is, once again, penalty-free on its 30-day readmission rates for serious health conditions, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

“Providing excellent patient care is our primary goal, and with that comes achieving low readmission rates, which is certainly not easy,” said John Paris, MD, chief medical officer at Riverview Health. “It takes a collaborative effort from everyone involved to ensure each of our patients receives the best care possible, not just in the hospital, but also once they return home. We applaud our physicians and staff for their efforts to provide our community with excellent care.”

The CMS hospital readmission rate evaluation is part of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program that started in 2012, which penalizes hospitals for excess readmissions. The program was designed to improve care and optimize the healthcare system.

According to a recent report from Kaiser Health News, “Medicare is fining a record number of hospitals—2,610—for having too many patients return within a month for additional treatments. Even though the nation’s readmission rate is dropping, Medicare’s average fines will be higher, with 39 hospitals receiving the largest penalty allowed.”