The readmission rates in hospitals across the U.S. have not changed significantly from 2008 to 2010, according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based on data from the Dartmouth Atlas Project.
The report, "The Revolving Door: A Report on U.S. Hospital Readmissions," includes new data from the Dartmouth Atlas Project as well as interviews conducted by PerryUndem Research & Communication with patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.
The Dartmouth Atlas Project examined readmission data for Medicare beneficiaries in 306 Dartmouth Atlas hospital referral regions from 2008 to 2010. Researchers looked at five categories of readmissions: all medical discharges, all surgical discharges and discharges for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and pneumonia.
The researchers made several important findings. First, the rate of readmissions has not improved significantly from 2008 to 2010 in most regions and hospitals. Only six of 92 academic medical centers studied had statistically significant changes in 30-day readmission rates for medical discharges, and only seven academic medical centers had statistically significant changes in 30-day readmission rates after surgery; in both groups, at least one hospital's readmission rates increased.
Secondly, readmission rates vary widely across geographic regions. For example, the readmission rate following medical discharges in 2010 ranged from a low of 11.4 percent in Ogden, Utah, to 18.1 percent in Bronx, N.Y. Similarly, for surgery discharges, the 30-day readmission rate varied from 7.6 percent in Bend, Ore., to 18.3 percent in Bronx, N.Y.
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The report, "The Revolving Door: A Report on U.S. Hospital Readmissions," includes new data from the Dartmouth Atlas Project as well as interviews conducted by PerryUndem Research & Communication with patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.
The Dartmouth Atlas Project examined readmission data for Medicare beneficiaries in 306 Dartmouth Atlas hospital referral regions from 2008 to 2010. Researchers looked at five categories of readmissions: all medical discharges, all surgical discharges and discharges for acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and pneumonia.
The researchers made several important findings. First, the rate of readmissions has not improved significantly from 2008 to 2010 in most regions and hospitals. Only six of 92 academic medical centers studied had statistically significant changes in 30-day readmission rates for medical discharges, and only seven academic medical centers had statistically significant changes in 30-day readmission rates after surgery; in both groups, at least one hospital's readmission rates increased.
Secondly, readmission rates vary widely across geographic regions. For example, the readmission rate following medical discharges in 2010 ranged from a low of 11.4 percent in Ogden, Utah, to 18.1 percent in Bronx, N.Y. Similarly, for surgery discharges, the 30-day readmission rate varied from 7.6 percent in Bend, Ore., to 18.3 percent in Bronx, N.Y.
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