It's in insurers' interest to help cut readmissions.

A little more than two years ago, Victor Caraballo, MD, the senior medical director at Independence Blue Cross in Philadelphia, set out to hit the brakes on the flow of unnecessary readmissions to area hospitals. By identifying high-risk patients and promoting best practices in discharge planning, Caraballo and a regional collaboration involving more than 20 area hospitals felt they could start eliminating some pricey health crises.