HHS OIG Releases Report Recommending a New QM for Rehospitalization Rates

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report last month (click here for the report) that recommends CMS develop a quality measure describing nursing home rehospitalization rates and instruct State Survey Agencies to review that quality measure as part of the survey process.  In 2011, the OIG found that 25% of nursing home patients were transferred to hospitals for inpatient admissions, which cost $14.3 billion to the Medicare program.  They also found that readmission rates varied widely across nursing homes.  The OIG is concerned that readmissions increase risk of residents’ experiencing harm and negative care outcomes.