Allocating transition resources for cardiac patients based on their calculated risk of readmission is an effective way to manage and even reduce readmissions, according to an article in the British Medical Journal of Quality and Safety.
Researchers at an urban academic medical center utilized electronic medical record-based software to identify patients with the highest risk of readmission based on predetermined criteria. These patients then received a rigorous set of evidence-based interventions designed to help them transition out of the hospital without experiencing readmission.
Heart failure readmissions declined from 26.2 percent to 21.2 percent over the study period (2008 to 2010).
The benefit of such triage is that it achieves improved readmission rates through more efficient allocation of limited resources, according to the article.
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