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Article updated: 2/10/2013 3:32 PM

How hospitals have slowed the readmission epidemic

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Nurse practitioner Jayne Mitchell watches as patient Marlena Bechtel-Rysdam practices using an electronic monitoring device called a Health Buddy last month at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Ore.

Associated Press

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More than 1 million Americans wind up back in the hospital only weeks after they left for reasons that could have been prevented — a revolving door that for years has seemed impossible to slow. Now Medicare has begun punishing hospitals with hefty fines if they have too many readmissions, and a top official says signs of improvement are beginning to emerge.