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More hospitals are relying on home care to curb their rehospitalization rates. Hospitals in Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties in South Carolina are sending “home health coaches” to visit high-risk patients at home within 72 hours of discharge, reports the Spartanburg Herald-Journal newspaper. The hospitals are beginning the practice now that Medicare reduces their reimbursement rates for readmissions.

The program under the Upstate Care Tran-sitions Coalition is a joint effort by Spartanburg Regional Health Care System, Mary Black Health Center, Upstate Carolina Medical Center and Wallace Thomson Hospital to reduce the readmission rates of Medicare patients by 20 percent, the paper says.

After the initial visit, the coaches will make three followup phone calls to the patients within a few weeks, the newspaper explains.