Jackson Medical Mall Launches First Statewide Initiative to Reduce Unnecessary Hospital Readmissions

JACKSON, Miss., July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Internationally renowned pediatrician, Dr. Aaron Shirley, has officially launched a program in Mississippi focused on reducing unnecessary readmissions, using an evidence-based model supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  

The program was launched at Central Mississippi Medical Center, an HMA hospital.  The goal of the program is to provide an evidence-based intervention that is proven to reduce unnecessary readmissions in the hospital.  The focus will be on providing services to Mississippians admitted to the hospital with a chronic disease.  The program is based on the Care Transitions Intervention(SM), developed by Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH and is a proven method of reducing unnecessary readmissions and lowering the cost of care for Medicare beneficiaries with one or more chronic diseases.  

In addition to providing the Care Transitions Intervention(SM), the Jackson Medical Mall has partnered with the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District (CMPDD) and the State Health Department to provide chronic disease self-management education based on the Stanford Model of Chronic Disease Self-Management.  The Stanford program is also an evidence-based intervention that is proven to lower costs and improve outcomes for persons with a chronic disease through providing expanded disease education to the persons in community settings.  Through this collaboration, each participant will have access to two complimentary evidence-based interventions that have both been shown to lower the cost of healthcare and improve outcomes for persons with chronic diseases.  

Reducing unnecessary readmissions has significant implications for both the Medicare and Medicaid programs because it is estimated that every unnecessary readmission costs taxpayers $9,600.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has noted that thousands of Mississippians are readmitted unnecessarily each year -- costing taxpayers millions of dollars in wasted healthcare expenses.  In addition to saving costs, the Medical Mall intervention is proven to improve health outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, and reduce disease complications.  The program design, logistics, and management have been implemented by Medical Mall Health Services.  

"I have been a firm believer that we can save taxpayer money by providing better, more comprehensive care to persons with a chronic disease by intervening before, during, and after an illness occurs," said Dr. Shirley.  "This is particularly important for persons diagnosed with a chronic disease such as diabetes.  As we launch this campaign to reduce readmissions, we want to make Mississippi first in significantly reducing unnecessary readmissions and providing chronic disease self-management education to every person with a chronic disease.  We are beginning in Jackson, MS and will replicate the program with every willing hospital in the State -- until all Mississippians have access to this program."

Bettye Burgess, CMPDD Aging Director, agreed.  

"Reducing unnecessary readmissions and improving health outcomes is vitally important to the Area Agency on Aging and the State of Mississippi.  We are happy that provide our evidence-based chronic disease self-management program to persons with chronic disease that are admitted to the hospital with a goal of improving health outcomes and lowering costs.  This program provides a paradigm of how public and private collaboration can improve the health of Mississippi residents not only in Jackson but also across the entire State.  We hope to replicate this important program at every healthcare facility in the State of Mississippi."  

ABOUT

Jackson Medical Mall Foundation is a 501-3(c) non-profit based in Jackson, Ms. Founded by Dr. Aaron Shirley in 1996 with a mission to improve health outcomes among vulnerable populations in Jackson and throughout the State of Mississippi.

SOURCE CaribPR Wire