Hospital in top 10 for low readmission

A recent Medicare report has named Kalispell Regional Medical Center as one of only 10 hospitals with better-than-average low readmission rates for three key health concerns.

In addition, the hospital ranked seventh in the nation among hospitals with the lowest readmissions for heart failure patients and 12th in the nation for low readmissions of patients treated for pneumonia. Low readmission rates indicate a greater rate of success with initial treatment for these patients.

Medicare supplied data for more than 4,000 hospitals nationwide, listing those that have done a superior job in decreasing readmissions for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients.

Kalispell Regional was among those hospitals singled out for exceeding the norm in all three areas. It was joined by hospitals in Florida, Michigan, Texas, Kentucky, Indiana, New Mexico, South Carolina and Kansas.

According to Medicare statistics, only 1 percent (30 hospitals) did a superior job in decreasing readmissions for two conditions – heart attacks and pneumonia – while 2 percent (94 hospitals) did the same for heart-failure patients.

Medicare’s latest hospital readmissions data was published on its Hospital Compare website www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare, part of an effort to help improve hospitals’ quality of care by distributing objective, easy-to-understand data on hospital performance and quality as seen from the consumer’s perspective.