Reducing hospital readmission rates is an important clinical and policy priority, but whether those rates really measure the quality of hospital care isn’t clear. In a new study, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health found strong evidence of a relationship between surgical readmission rates and quality of surgical care. The finding provides an opportunity for policy makers to improve surgical quality and decrease readmission costs and supports plans by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand its readmission penalty program to include surgical procedures.