In a proposed rule published in the July 11 Federal Register, CMS recommended that Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) be assessed on the number of people who return to their hospitals within 30 days of discharge. The measure, Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM), reviews the rate of “all cause, unplanned hospital readmissions for patients who have been admitted to a Skilled Nursing Facility within 30 days of discharge from a prior inpatient admission to a hospital, CAH or a psychiatric hospital.”
Earlier this year, CMS had provided revisions to existing hospital guidelines for discharge planning to assist with reducing hospital readmissions and encouraging post-acute provider partnerships. These partnerships, often in the form of ACOs, are paid based partially on their performance against quality measures such as this proposed measure.
View the July 11, 2014 Federal Register.
