March 18, 2010 
High hospital readmission rates are a real source of concern for health plans, from both a quality and cost perspective. With 20% of Medicare patients being readmitted within 30 days of discharge, health plans and their partners have a significant opportunity to reduce readmission rates across all populations. Even just a half-point drop in readmissions for a Medicare plan with 1 million members can yield $10 to $15 million in annual medical cost savings.
In a new podcast, Dr. Jan Berger, Silverlink’s Chief Medical Officer, discusses how health plans can address this costly, growing issue affecting our healthcare system. Dr. Berger offers best practices for reducing readmissions such as:
• Expanding outreach to entire discharged population
• Reaching out within 24-72 hours of discharge
• Coordinating communications among members, physicians and care managers
• Identifying members at risk for readmissions
Download this podcast and visit our new Post Hospital Discharge Microsite to access other valuable resources on this important healthcare topic.
Enabling Healthy Decisions 
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