Readmission of patients within 30 days of discharge is one of the most serious issues plaguing healthcare delivery in the United States. No one wants to go to the hospital, let alone return shortly after being discharged; readmissions also hurt hospital bottom lines.

Readmissions cost hospitals $41.3 billion during the first 11 months of 2011, according to data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

As part of the Affordable Care Act, in 2012 the Medicare program began withholding small proportions of payments to hospitals if patient readmissions occurred due to certain medical conditions (pneumonia and congestive heart failure among them). Such initiatives are known as value-based payments.

DNV GL Healthcare and CoxHealth

DNV GL Healthcare is the second-largest hospital accrediting body in the United States. It currently accredits 500 hospitals in 49 states. It has adopted an ISO 9001-based quality management system that originated in Europe for hospitals to improve operational processes and the quality of care.

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