The integration of informal caregiving into the planned process for discharging patients could reduce hospital readmissions by nearly 25 % , according to the University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute . Informal caregivers cover unpaid assistants who support the medical care and daily activities that are necessary for those who have recently been discharged . Savings could include the $ 17bn that is spent on Medicare coverage for preventable hospital readmissions . Hospitals are often penalised for these readmissions , with totals expected to reach $ 528 m in 2017 as nearly half of all US hospitals fail to prevent hospital re - entry . The cost analysis comes from research carried out across 10,715 scientific publications and 4,361 patients . Twitter: @JELagasse Ultra Boost Laceless There was a 25 % reduction in costs when integrating caregivers for the first 90 days , and a 24 % reduction for the first 180 days after a hospital stay . The finding supports the Caregiver Access , Record and Enforcement Act ( CARE Act ) which has been implemented across more than 30 states and supports the integration of caregivers into medical care processes .
The integration of informal caregiving into the planned process for discharging patients could reduce hospital readmissions by nearly 25 % , according to the University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute . Informal caregivers cover unpaid assistants who support the medical care and daily activities that are necessary for those who have recently been discharged . Savings could include the $ 17bn that is spent on Medicare coverage for preventable hospital readmissions . Hospitals are often penalised for these readmissions , with totals expected to reach $ 528 m in 2017 as nearly half of all US hospitals fail to prevent hospital re - entry . The cost analysis comes from research carried out across 10,715 scientific publications and 4,361 patients . There was a 25 % reduction in costs when integrating caregivers for the first 90 days , and a 24 % reduction for the first 180 days after a hospital stay . The finding supports the Caregiver Access , Record and Enforcement Act ( CARE Act ) which has been implemented across more than 30 states and supports the integration of caregivers into medical care processes .