Press "Enter" to skip to content

Study Finds Patient Characteristics Explain Differences in Hospital Readmission Rates

Share this:

Findings from a new study on patient characteristics and differences in hospital readmission rates suggest patient characteristics not included in Medicare’s current risk-adjustment methods explained much of the difference in readmission risk between patients admitted to hospitals with higher vs lower readmission rates. Hospitals with high readmission rates may be penalized to a large extent based on the patients they serve.  The study, published in JAMA, sought to assess the extent to which a comprehensive set of patient characteristics accounts for differences in hospital readmission rates.  Medicare penalizes hospitals with higher than expected readmission rates by up to 3% of annual inpatient payments. Expected rates are adjusted only for patients’ age, sex, discharge diagnosis, and recent diagnoses.

Read full study: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2434813#Methods

Share this: