Please answer the following questions listed below:

• Why do the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) believe that prevention of inpatient admissions will improve the quality of care in populations served by hospitals?
• What specific age group and diagnoses does the CMS monitor for readmissions?
• Does research tell us that so far prevention of readmissions has improved the quality of care for patients?
• How has hospital reimbursement been affected by the readmission standard mandated by the CMS?
• What recommendations (best practices) to decrease hospital readmissions have been suggested by experts in the healthcare field?