Cost-effective strategies to minimize heart failure readmission rates

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to identify and analyze the potential costs and benefits associated with the inclusion of a certified heart-failure nurse responsible for inpatient education and outpatient follow-up services for heart-failure patients. Admission and avoidable readmission data for a representative, Eastern Montana, inpatient healthcare facility were obtained and analyzed as the standard care model, and then compared against a care model utilizing a specialist heart-failure nurse responsible for inpatient education and outpatient, post-discharge follow-up care. A five-year pro forma was constructed, presenting a five-year cost versus savings forecast, in which a positive savings trend was estimated over the course of a five-year period.