An increase in family physicians could reduce hospital readmissions

One of the goals of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is to reduce healthcare spending by reducing readmissions. One study in the May issue of American Family Physician, “FPs lower hospital readmission rates and costs,” suggests that timely management of recovering patients in primary care after discharge may reduce readmission, and thus, save healthcare dollars. For pneumonia, heart attack, and heart failure, adding one family practitioner per 1,000 population reduces readmission odds by 7%, 5%, and 8% respectively.