Reducing Preventable Hospitalizations

Yesterday, as part of our ongoing ‘Governing for Results’ series, I had the privilege of touring the Center for Clinical Resources, part of the Western Maryland Health System. I met dedicated health care providers on the tour and we talked about the steps we’re taking to reduce preventable hospitalizations and create a stronger, healthier Maryland.

Hospital visits represent one of the most preventable public health challenges facing our State and the nation. While every person should have access to critical care at hospitals, we’re working to keep more people healthy and reduce the number and length of hospital stays, which in turn reduces costs for families and our health care system.

The O’Malley-Brown Administration set a goal to reduce the rate of preventable hospitalizations by 10 percent by 2015. In 2012, we exceeded that goal, driving down preventable hospitalizations in Maryland by 11.9 percent.

We’ve driven down preventable hospitalizations by investing in innovative ways to reduce costs, improve care, and cover all Marylanders.

In 2009, we took one of many key steps to address this issue with the development of Maryland’s Health Information Exchange. The Chesapeake Regional Information System (CRISP) connects Maryland’s physicians, hospitals, and labs with real-time information ensuring continuity of care for all patients. CRISP sends roughly 10,000 notifications a month to physicians when their patients are admitted, discharged, or transferred to any hospital in Maryland.

The Western Maryland Health System is just one example of the way in which health care providers are working to keep more Marylanders healthy. In July 2010, WMHS became one of 10 hospitals to participate in a demonstration project for the Total Patient Revenue model offered by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission. In the four years since starting Total Patient Review, inpatient admissions have been driven down 32 percent, while readmissions within 30 days have been driven down 46 percent over the last two years.

Additionally, the Center for Clinical Resources at WMHS now centralizes services to support patients with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, and COPD. With the support of the Allegany County Health Department and the Maryland Health Care Commission, the Center’s efforts have produced approximately $1.4 million in savings for chronic heart failure and diabetic patients. And in 2014, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Maryland’s all-payer rate-setting system which will improve patient care and reduce health care costs. Uwe Reinhardt, a health care economist at Princeton University, said, “This is without any question the boldest proposal in the United States in the last half century to grab the problem of cost growth by the horns.”

We believe that there is no such thing as a spare Marylander, and improving health care in Maryland means recognizing the promise, value, and potential of every human life. Together, we can ensure that every Marylander can improve their health and spend fewer days in hospitals.

To learn more about the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s innovative policy efforts and investments in new data platforms that have led to lower costs, better health outcomes, and improved patient care, please read the Governor’s recently released white paper: A Prescription for Innovation: Maryland’s Data-Driven Approach to Containing Costs and Advancing Health.