Infection-related readmissions made up nearly 30 percent of all-cause readmissions, a study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found.
Researchers examined California acute care hospitals and their patient populations discharged between 2009 and 2011, assessing 30-day readmission rates of 323 hospitals.
Infection-related readmissions accounted for 28 percent of all readmissions and were also associated with discharging many patients to skilled nursing facilities.
"High hospital infection-related readmissions were associated with serving a high proportion of patients with co-morbidities, long lengths of stay, discharge to skilled nursing facility and those living in federal poverty areas," the study concludes. "Preventability of these infections needs to be assessed."