Patient Factors Contributing to Variation in Same-Hospital Readmission Rate. (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Henke, Rachel Mosher; Karaca, Zeynal; Lin, Hollis; Wier, Lauren M.; Marder, William; Wong, Herbert S.
• Is Part Of: Medical care research and review. Volume 72:Number 3(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 338
• Page End: 358
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: hospital readmission -- same-hospital readmission -- patient factors -- bundled payments -- Medicare; Medical care -- United States -- Periodicals; Medical care -- Periodicals; Medical care -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Medical care -- Research -- Periodicals; Medical economics -- United States -- Periodicals; Medical economics -- Periodicals; 362.10973
• DOI: 10.1177/1077558715577478
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1077-5587

Abstract

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Readmission Reduction Program and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovations Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative hold hospitals accountable for readmissions that occur at other hospitals. A few studies have described the extent to which hospital readmissions occur at the original place of treatment (i.e., same-hospital readmissions). This study uses data from 16 states to describe variation in same-hospital readmissions by patient characteristics across multiple conditions. We found that the majority of 30-day readmissions occur at the same hospital, although rates varied considerably by condition. A significant number of hospitals had very low rates of same-hospital readmissions, meaning that the majority of their readmissions went to other hospitals. Future research should examine why some hospitals are able to retain patients for a same-hospital readmission and others are not.