Communities in which health-care providers work together to coordinate evidence-based hospital discharges can see a six percent drop in hospitalizations and rehospitalizations in just the first two years, according to a new project study.

For the project, described January 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC) coordinated 14 of Medicare’s Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), which are funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help achieve national quality goals through focused efforts at the community and provider level.

Together, the QIOs implemented community-wide evidence-based improvements in patient care transitions.

This included starting community organizations, providing technical assistance, and monitoring of participation, effectiveness and adverse effects.

Jane Brock, chief medical officer at CFMC and lead author for the JAMA article, said “The project was successful because rather than focus on one hospital ward, or 100 patients, it engaged whole communities to improve care for large geographically-defined populations.”

The JAMA article is titled “Associations between quality improvement for care transitions incommunities and rehospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries.” If you would like to learn more about the benefits of coordinated care, please contact us.