Avoid Readmissions through Collaboration (ARC) is a San Francisco Bay Area focused effort to identify, implement, and share best practices to reduce avoidable readmissions. By the end of the 2013, ARC initiatives have helped hospitals eliminate over 6,400 readmissions over a three-year period, saving more than $62 million in healthcare expenditures. Our goal is to reduce 30 and 90 day all cause readmission rates by providing a forum for hospitals and their outpatient partners to understand existing evidence-based models and the fidelity required to successfully implement these models. 

The Collaborative Community consists of an open Learning Community where hospitals and their partner organizations, e.g. medical groups/IPAs, home health, long term care and health plans, participate in learning sessions as well as an Action Network of organizations who are fully engaged in readmission improvement work. ARC Mentor hospitals are considered content and implementation experts in care transition improvement and provide support to other hospitals interested in improving their care transition efforts. To see a list of ARC's Mentor Hospitals click here.

A 2009 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that almost one-fifth (19.6%) of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Here in California, a study released in 2010 by the State of California showed one-third of the 1.7 Californians who received hospital care in 2005, regardless of insurance coverage, were re-hospitalized within 12 months. There are proven strategies to reduce re-admissions. This program reviews the evidence-based models and helps organizations adapt them for their patients.