Transitions from one care setting to another in the last 90 days of life increased by 50 percent, from an average of two moves in 2000 to three in 2009.
Mercy Health, a not-for-profit health system in Cincinnati, Ohio that owns six hospitals, was able to reduce its 30-day readmission rate to 14.5% as of November, from 16.9% in 2011, with a CareTransitions program that assigns nurses to high-risk patients to keep them out of the hospital.