CMS recently added the 30-day readmission rate after postacute rehabilitation as a national quality indicator. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association identifies readmission rates and factors related to readmission of postacute rehabilitation patients.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 740,000 Medicare beneficiaries discharged between 2006 and 2011 for the six largest conditions requiring inpatient rehabilitation, including stroke, lower extremity fracture, lower extremity joint replacement, debility, neurologic disorders and brain dysfunction.
Research results revealed the following seven statistics about postacute rehabilitation:
Mean length of rehabilitation stay — 12.4 days
Overall 30-day readmission rate — 11.8 percent
Readmission rate for lower extremity joint replacement (lowest readmission rate) — 5.8 percent
Readmission rate for debility (highest readmission rate) — 18.8 percent
Readmission rate for men — 13.0 percent
Readmission rate for women — 11.0 percent
Readmission rate for dual-eligibles — 15.1 percent
Higher readmission rates were associated with lower cognitive function and motor statuses. Approximately half of patients readmitted were rehospitalized within 11 days postdischarge.
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