SOUTHBRIDGE, MA – Harrington Hospital once again significantly beat the statewide average for how often patients are readmitted according to data released on Wednesday, April 26, by The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA). Harrington has maintained lower than state average readmission rates in 17 of the past 20 quarters of collected data.
For fiscal year 2015, Harrington’s overall patient readmission rate was reported at 13.7%, a full 2.1% better than the state average of 15.8%. In addition, a Risk-Standardized Readmission Rate of 14.8% put Harrington in a tie for the lowest in the state among all non-specialty hospitals. Risk-standardized rates provide for more accurate comparisons between hospitals by adjusting for differences in patient age & complexity of conditions treated.
“At Harrington, we have a multidisciplinary approach to preventing readmissions,” said Vice President of Quality & Patient Safety Kathleen Davis. “We work with patients and their families to help them understand their condition and the aftercare that is necessary and we help them to plan for this care in the most appropriate setting.”
Overall, community hospitals in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts maintain lower readmission rates as a rule, averaging 15.6%, while academic and teaching hospitals tend to have generally higher readmission rates, averaging 16.5 & 16.1% respectively.
The Center for Health Information and Analysis is an independent agency established by Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012 to serve as the Commonwealth’s primary hub for health care data and a primary source of health care analytics that support policy development. CHIA was created which was enacted to improve health care quality and contain health care costs through transparency, efficiency and innovation. CHIA assumed many, but not all, of the functions of its predecessor agency, the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy.
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