readmission rates for hospitals

A local news organization has published a story about the readmission rates for hospitals in their area. The
news organization determined from the data that two local hospitals will be receiving reduced
reimbursement from CMS because their readmission rates fall outside of the accepted range. Upon
contacting a spokesperson from each hospital, the news organization received the following responses to
their inquiry:
Hospital A: “These readmission rates were based on outdated data reported several years
ago. This data does not accurately reflect the care that we provide to our patients. We have
made numerous changes to our processes in the past several years and this is not reflected
in this data. We are not concerned by these results and believe we continue to deliver high
quality care.”
Hospital B: “We have proactively conducted our own analysis of this data prior to the CMS
report and determined that our area of concern is confined to one service line. In response
to our analysis, we have implemented a hotline for patients discharged from this service line
to call with any questions after discharge. This call center is staffed by service line nurses
that have access to the patients discharge instructions and providers if necessary. We feel
this is important data that we must take seriously to keep our quality of care at the level
that our patients expect.”
Discuss the differences in responses by the two hospitals and the CMS readmissions programs. What were the differences in their approach to the issue? What might be the repercussions be for each hospital, good or bad?