Primary Care-Based Efforts To Reduce Potentially Preventable Readmissions

High rates of readmissions are a major patient safety problem associated with adverse events such as prescribing errors and misdiagnoses of conditions in the hospital and ambulatory care settings. Building on the Agency's previous investments in research in the hospital setting, AHRQ funded a contract to address an important and unfulfilled need by focusing on enhancing the role of primary care with the aim of reducing potentially preventable readmissions.

This project was informed by input from the primary care community, including clinic staff, researchers, community partners, hospitals, and other stakeholders. The research resulted in the development of key principles for a conceptual framework on the role of primary care to improve quality and safety for patients after hospital discharge.

Project-Related Materials

• Executive Summary of Final Report (PDF, 70 KB).
• Potentially Preventable Readmissions: Conceptual Framework To Rethink the Role of Primary Care: Final Report examines the evidence base on what is currently known about reducing readmissions from the primary care perspective.
• Environmental Scan of Primary Care-Based Efforts To Reduce Readmissions reviews the evidence-based literature from the primary care setting.
• Information on AHRQ's other primary care efforts is available at Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research (NCEPCR).