Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-17.26-1. Findings

(1) According to data provided by the department of health;  in 2009, over 1 in five (5) adults discharged from acute care hospitals in Rhode Island were readmitted within thirty (30) days;

(2) During that same period, the readmission rate for adults over the age of sixty-five (65) rose to almost thirty percent (30%);

(3) The issue of hospital readmissions has emerged nationally as a critical focal point for improving quality, ensuring patient safety, and controlling excessive costs;

(4) Locally, high hospital readmission rates are often due to:  missing or incorrect information regarding patients;  ill-timed information transfer;  medication errors or poor compliance;  lack of outpatient follow-up;  or lack of follow-up by patients when their symptoms worsen;

(5) Evidence-based interventions can improve communications systems and patient activation, thus addressing the root causes of hospital readmissions and reducing rates;

(6) Encouraging best practices in patient discharge and transitions out of hospitals offers significant potential for improving patient care and containing healthcare costs in Rhode Island;  and,

(7) The State of Rhode Island, with the cooperation of the state's hospitals, has already made significant gains in fostering care coordination and improving quality of care.