Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) has introduced legislation that seeks to reduce hospital readmission rates by improving the follow-up care patients receive after leaving the hospital. The Medicare Care Transitions Act of 2009 would save billions of dollars each year by incorporating a model that Colorado has used to reduce readmission rates and improve care, Bennet said in a written statement.
The bill would create a nationwide network of community-based transitional care coaches whose duties would include helping patients self-manage their condition and medications over time, providing personal follow-up care, and serving as an access point when patients change care settings. The goal is to improve patient quality and cost-effectiveness of care for Medicare beneficiaries and ease the burden on providers to reduce hospital readmission rates, according to a summary of the bill.