Pharmacist-managed transition of care program for reducing congestive heart failure readmissions

Readmissions are a problem affecting hospitals throughout the United States. In particular, congestive heart failure readmissions have been shown to be common, costly, and in many cases avoidable. The Affordable Care Act introduced payment models that have increased financial incentives for acute care facilities to decrease readmissions. A reflection of personal experience, areas of expertise, current services offered, and a review of services neglected was performed for Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, NY. The findings, supported by a literature review, suggest that untapped resources in the form of staff pharmacists at Crouse Hospital could be utilized to decrease readmissions. Readmission performance data for Crouse Hospital was analyzed to show that an achievable reduction in readmissions would offset an investment in such a program. The creation of a pharmacist-managed transition of care program for reducing congestive heart failure readmissions adds value in a variety of ways. Financially it proposes a way to reduce costs by decreasing preventable readmissions. Also, it has the ability to increase the quality of life for individuals with congestive heart failure by keeping them out of the hospital. Lastly, it will add to existing and future publications by supporting the notion that effective patient care is an integrated effort. There is no magic bullet in healthcare. A variety of healthcare professionals using their strengths and working together as a team can collectively achieve better patient care outcomes.