New Care Coordination Codes Huge Win for Nurses

"That's just horrendous. It's a quality and cost issue," she says, adding that now there's finally a universal recognition that giving the patients what they need when they leave the hospital will help them to actually stay out of the hospital.

"We think these codes are really going to decrease readmissions," she says.

There's already plenty of evidence that care coordination successfully reduces readmissions, lowers costs, and improves patient health. In June, the ANA released a white paper called "The Value of Nursing Care Coordination," which examines recent reports and studies about care coordination and the role of RNs.

For example, one study cited in the white paper found that care coordination leads to better care at a lower cost, particularly for populations with multiple health and social needs. That certainly describes the Medicare population.

On the flip side, another study showed that patient costs of those with uncoordinated care were 75% higher than matched patients whose care was coordinated. That research suggested that care coordination could reduce around a third of costs.

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