Dealing With Unintended Consequences And Measurement Issues In Effort To Reduce Hospital Readmissions

Hospitals Question Medicare rules On Readmissions by Reed Abelson.  The New York Times.  March 29, 2013.

Many hospitals are questioning the penalties for high patient readmission rates that are part of the Affordable Care Act.  While there is evidence that they are beginning to have the desired effect, some hospitals are questioning if they penalize institutions which treat very sick patients and cause a shift in costs away from medical to more personal service expenditures.  The story illustrates many aspects of the important broader issue of  how to deal with unintended and second- and third-order consequences of policy.  A case study of ripple effects.