Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP)
The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) is a Medicare program that reduces inpatient payments to hospitals with excess 30-day readmissions for specific conditions and procedures, with penalties of up to 3% of Medicare inpatient payments. Created by the Affordable Care Act and effective since fiscal year 2013, HRRP is the reason hospitals scrutinize the readmission performance of their post-acute partners, including home health agencies.
Definition
The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) is a Medicare program that reduces inpatient payments to hospitals with excess 30-day readmissions for specific conditions and procedures, with penalties of up to 3% of Medicare inpatient payments. Created by the Affordable Care Act and effective since fiscal year 2013, HRRP is the reason hospitals scrutinize the readmission performance of their post-acute partners, including home health agencies.
Why it matters
Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) is part of the Quality & Outcomes vocabulary used across home health operations, documentation, and revenue cycle. Understanding it helps clinicians, QA leads, and administrators stay aligned on care quality and compliance.
Home Health Documentation Playbook
The complete guide to OASIS-E, Medicare compliance, PDGM, and AI-assisted documentation. Learn how top agencies reduce documentation time without sacrificing compliance.
Related terms
Listen While You Read
Conversations on quality & outcomes
Episodes from Inside Home Health that put Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) in operational context.
Ep 23Ep 23 · Aug 17, 2026
The Hidden Spreadsheet Error That's Causing the Nursing Shortage | Robert Wingo
Robert Wingo, BSN, RN, NI-BCWatch 
Ep 21Ep 21 · Jul 20, 2026
Why Nurses Stop Using AI Tools After 90 Days | Jennifer Ngure
Jennifer NgureWatch 
Ep 22Ep 22 · Jul 27, 2026
How AI Can Give Clinicians Their Time Back
Genevieve FomWatch