AHRQ Study: Hospital Readmissions Less Likely With High-Quality Discharge Planning

Hospital patients who receive high-quality discharge planning are less likely to be readmitted within 30 days, according to an AHRQ study that examined 2.1 million hospital patients in 16 states who were treated for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and total hip or joint replacement. According to the study, ideal discharge planning begins several days in advance, with the goal of ensuring that patients understand basic questions such as where they will go after discharge, what special care and medications they may need, whether they must restrict certain foods or activities, and what symptoms to monitor. The study found an increased likelihood that if readmissions did occur, most patients would return to the same hospital for continued treatment. Researchers used AHRQ’sHospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey data to measure the quality of hospitals’ discharge planning and AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Projectdata to study hospital readmissions. The study cited the cost of readmissions, indicating that Medicare spent $17.5 billion in 2012 on hospital readmissions that occurred within 30 days of discharge. “Discharge Planning and Hospital Readmissions” and abstract were published in Medical Care Research and Review. In addition, AHRQ has tools for hospitals and patients and families to help prevent avoidable readmissions.

2016 May 4. pii: 1077558716647652. [Epub ahead of print]

Discharge Planning and Hospital Readmissions.

Henke RM1, Karaca Z2, Jackson P3, Marder WD3, Wong HS2.

Author information

Abstract

This study examines the association between the quality of hospital discharge planning and all-cause 30-day readmissions and same-hospital readmissions. The sample included adults aged 18 years and older hospitalized in 16 states in 2010 or 2011 for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, or total hip or joint arthroplasty. Data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems measured discharge-planning quality at the hospital level. A generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the contribution of patient and hospital characteristics to 30-day all-cause and same-hospital readmissions. Discharge-planning quality was associated with (a) lower rates of 30-day hospital readmissions and (b) higher rates of same-hospital readmissions for heart failure, pneumonia, and total hip or joint replacement. These results suggest that by improving inpatient discharge planning, hospitals may be able to influence their 30-day readmissions and increase the likelihood that readmissions will be to the same hospital.