CMS announces 20 new participants in program to improve transitions, reduce rehospitalizations

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced 20 new organizations participating in the Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP), which is an initiative to cut down on hospital readmissions by facilitating better patient transitions between acute and post-acute providers.

With the latest round of participants, there are now 102 community-based organizations (CBOs) taking part in the program, CMS said March 7. The CBOs receive funding for two years to undertake efforts to cut down on readmissions, and the funds can be renewed for the duration of the five-year CCTP program based on performance. The CCTP program has $500 million in funding to distribute through 2015.

Sun Health, an Arizona-based philanthropic organization, is one of the new CCTP participants. It will partner with two nonprofit skilled nursing/rehabilitation facilities and two medical centers to improve transitions in Maricopa County, Arizona. Components of the transition program will include medication reconciliation, fall risk assessment and depression screening.

A full list of the new CCTP participants can be found here.