Several studies have now shown that hospital readmissions following abdominal transplantation occur all too frequently. A national analysis of nearly 12,000 liver transplant recipients found that more than one-third were readmitted to their transplant center within 30 days of their initial hospitalization and, for some transplant centers, readmission rates were as high as 50% (2). A nationwide study of kidney transplant recipients uncovered strikingly similar results, and both studies reported that rehospitalization came at very high costs–approximately $44,000 for liver patients and $11,000 for kidney patients (2,3). Fortunately, many readmissions can be prevented, especially if patients who are at risk for rehospitalization are more actively monitored post-discharge (4). The ActiCare Health Monitoring Program has been developed with a primary goal of reducing avoidable readmission days. By monitoring patients vital signs and symptoms daily, we are able to identify early warning signs of rejection, infection, or other complications that could lead to more costly downstream hospitalizations. And, by providing you with greater visibility into patients’ current health status, we allow you to make more timely interventions where appropriate, directly through our technology. Finally, we help to reinforce your care instructions, so that patients remain on track and in position to have the best possible recovery. To get in touch with an ActiCare Health representative about how we can help you optimize savings for your organization, click here.
citations:
(2) Wilson GC et al. “Variation by center and economic burden of readmissions after liver transplantation.” Liver Transpl. 2015; doi: 10.1002/lt.24112. (3) McAdams-DeMarco MA et al. “Early Hospital Readmission After Kidney Transplantation: Patient and Center-Level Associations.” American Journal of Transplantation. 2012; 12: 3283–3288. (4) Paterno F et al. “Hospital utilization and consequences of readmissions after liver transplantation.” Surgery. Oct 2014; 156(4): 871–880.