Among Medicare Beneficiaries Hospitalized for Heart Failure, Acute Myocardial Infarction, and Pneumonia. Researchers reported in JAMA that among Medicare beneficiaries, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries has been associated with a reduction in readmission rates for heart failure (HF), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and pneumonia. But it is unclear whether the HRRP has been associated with a change in patient mortality. The program was significantly associated with an increase in 30-day post-discharge mortality after hospitalization for HF and pneumonia, but not for AMI. More research is needed to understand whether the increase in 30-day post-discharge mortality is a result of the Medicare policy.
