Invited Commentary

Commentary on "A Comparison of Congestive Heart Failure Readmissions among Teaching and Nonteaching Hospital Services"

Authors: Irene Alexandraki, MD, MPH

Abstract

More than 1 million patients with heart failure (HF) are hospitalized every year in the United States and approximately one-fourth of them will be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of their discharge. In 2009, the estimated direct and indirect costs for treating HF exceeded $37 billion.1 According to the American Heart Association, by 2030 one in every 33 people will have HF, and the projected total costs for the treatment of patients with HF will be threefold higher.2 The magnitude of the problem has drawn the attention of policymakers and led to decisions such as the public reporting of hospital readmission rates and the reduction in reimbursement for hospitals with excessive risk-standardized 30-day readmission rates.

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References

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