scholarly journals Hospital revisits within 30 days after discharge for medical conditions targeted by the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program in the United States: national retrospective analysis

BMJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. l4563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi K Wadhera ◽  
Karen E Joynt Maddox ◽  
Dhruv S Kazi ◽  
Changyu Shen ◽  
Robert W Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Hospital Readmissions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Total Hospital ◽  
Reduction Program ◽  
Hospital Stays

AbstractObjectiveTo determine any changes in total hospital revisits within 30 days of discharge after a hospital stay for medical conditions targeted by the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP).DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingHospital stays among Medicare patients for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, or pneumonia between 1 January 2012 and 1 October 2015.ParticipantsMedicare fee-for-service patients aged 65 or over.Main outcomesTotal hospital revisits within 30 days of discharge after hospital stays for medical conditions targeted by the HRRP, and by type of revisit: treat-and-discharge visit to an emergency department, observation stay (not leading to inpatient readmission), and inpatient readmission. Patient subgroups (age, sex, race) were also evaluated for each type of revisit.ResultsOur study cohort included 3 038 740 total index hospital stays from January 2012 to September 2015: 1 357 620 for heart failure, 634 795 for acute myocardial infarction, and 1 046 325 for pneumonia. Counting all revisits after discharge, the total number of hospital revisits per 100 patient discharges for target conditions increased across the study period (monthly increase 0.023 visits per 100 patient discharges (95% confidence interval 0.010 to 0.035)). This change was due to monthly increases in treat-and-discharge visits to an emergency department (0.023 (0.015 to 0.032) and observation stays (0.022 (0.020 to 0.025)), which were only partly offset by declines in readmissions (−0.023 (−0.035 to −0.012)). Increases in observation stay use were more pronounced among non-white patients than white patients. No significant change was seen in mortality within 30 days of discharge for target conditions (−0.0034 (−0.012 to 0.0054)).ConclusionsIn the United States, total hospital revisits within 30 days of discharge for conditions targeted by the HRRP increased across the study period. This increase was due to a rise in post-discharge emergency department visits and observation stays, which exceeded the decline in readmissions. Although reductions in readmissions have been attributed to improvements in discharge planning and care transitions, our findings suggest that these declines could instead be because hospitals and clinicians have intensified efforts to treat patients who return to a hospital within 30 days of discharge in emergency departments and as observation stays.

scholarly journals Post-discharge acute care and outcomes following readmission reduction initiatives: national retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States

BMJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. l6831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Khera ◽  
Yongfei Wang ◽  
Susannah M Bernheim ◽  
Zhenqiu Lin ◽  
Harlan M Krumholz
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Observation Units ◽  
Acute Care Utilization

Abstract Objectives To determine whether patients discharged after hospital admissions for conditions covered by national readmission programs who received care in emergency departments or observation units but were not readmitted within 30 days had an increased risk of death and to evaluate temporal trends in post-discharge acute care utilization in inpatient units, emergency departments, and observation units for these patients. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Medicare claims data for 2008-16 in the United States. Participants Patients aged 65 or older admitted to hospital with heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, or pneumonia—conditions included in the US Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. Main outcome measures Post-discharge 30 day mortality according to patients’ 30 day acute care utilization; acute care utilization in inpatient and observation units and the emergency department during the 30 day and 31-90 day post-discharge period. Results 3 772 924 hospital admissions for heart failure, 1 570 113 for acute myocardial infarction, and 3 131 162 for pneumonia occurred. The overall post-discharge 30 day mortality was 8.7% for heart failure, 7.3% for acute myocardial infarction, and 8.4% for pneumonia. Risk adjusted mortality increased annually by 0.05% (95% confidence interval 0.02% to 0.08%) for heart failure, decreased by 0.06% (−0.09% to −0.04%) for acute myocardial infarction, and did not significantly change for pneumonia. Specifically, mortality increased for patients with heart failure who did not utilize any post-discharge acute care, increasing at a rate of 0.08% (0.05% to 0.12%) per year, exceeding the overall absolute annual increase in post-discharge mortality in heart failure, without an increase in mortality in observation units or the emergency department. Concurrent with a reduction in 30 day readmission rates, stays for observation and visits to the emergency department increased across all three conditions during and beyond the 30 day post-discharge period. Overall 30 day post-acute care utilization did not change significantly. Conclusions The only condition with increasing mortality through the study period was heart failure; the increase preceded the policy and was not present among patients who received emergency department or observation unit care without admission to hospital. During this period, the overall acute care utilization in the 30 days after discharge significantly decreased for heart failure and pneumonia, but not for acute myocardial infarction.

scholarly journals National Trends in Emergency Department Care Processes for Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States, 2005 to 2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshay Pendyal ◽  
Craig Rothenberg ◽  
Jean E. Scofi ◽  
Harlan M. Krumholz ◽  
Basmah Safdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Real World ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emergency Department Care ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Ed Visits

Background Despite investments to improve quality of emergency care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), few studies have described national, real‐world trends in AMI care in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to describe trends in the epidemiology and quality of AMI care in US EDs over a recent 11‐year period, from 2005 to 2015. Methods and Results We conducted an observational study of ED visits for AMI using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative probability sample of US EDs. AMI visits were classified as ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non‐STEMI. Outcomes included annual incidence of AMI, median ED length of stay, ED disposition type, and ED administration of evidence‐based medications. Annual ED visits for AMI decreased from 1 493 145 in 2005 to 581 924 in 2015. Estimated yearly incidence of ED visits for STEMI decreased from 1 402 768 to 315 813. The proportion of STEMI sent for immediate, same‐hospital catheterization increased from 12% to 37%. Among patients with STEMI sent directly for catheterization, median ED length of stay decreased from 62 to 37 minutes. ED administration of antithrombotic and nonaspirin antiplatelet agents rose for STEMI (23%–31% and 10%–27%, respectively). Conclusions National, real‐world trends in the epidemiology of AMI in the ED parallel those of clinical registries, with decreases in AMI incidence and STEMI proportion. ED care processes for STEMI mirror evolving guidelines that favor high‐intensity antiplatelet therapy, early invasive strategies, and regionalization of care.

Abstract 014: Evaluation of Readmission after Acute Myocardial Infarction for Patients Included in Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lila M Martin ◽  
Ryan W Thompson ◽  
Timothy G Ferris ◽  
Jagmeet P Singh ◽  
Elizabeth Laikhter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Hospital Readmissions ◽  
Index Hospitalization ◽  
Readmission Rates ◽  
Troponin Elevation ◽  
Reduction Program ◽  
Improve Accuracy ◽  
Episodes Of Care ◽  
Index Hospital

Introduction: Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program assesses financial penalties for hospitals based on risk-standardized readmission rates after specific episodes of care, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Whether the algorithm accurately identifies patients with AMI who have preventable readmission is unknown. Methods: Using administrative data from Medicare, we conducted physician-adjudicated chart reviews of all patients considered 30 day readmissions after AMI attributed to one hospital from July 2012-June 2015. We extracted information about revascularization during index hospitalization. For patients readmitted to the index hospital or an affiliate, we also extracted reason for readmission. Results: Of 199 admissions, 66 (33.2%) received PCI and 19 (9.6%) underwent CABG on index hospitalization. The remainder of patients did not receive any intervention, i.e. 39 patients (19.6%) were declined due to procedural risk, 15 (7.5%) because of goals of care and 14 (7.0%) refused revascularization. Forty-six patients (23.1%) had troponin elevation in the absence of an MI and did not have an indication for revascularization. The most common diagnoses of the 161 (80.9%) patients readmitted to the index hospital or an affiliate were infections and cardiac and non-cardiac chest discomfort (Table 1). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that many AMI patients who count towards the Medicare penalty do not receive revascularization during the index hospitalization because of high procedural risk or patient preference. Focusing on these patients may improve readmission metric performance. Furthermore, adding administrative codes for prohibitive procedural risk may improve accuracy of the metric as a measure of quality.

Abstract 18272: The Increasing Proportion of Acute Myocardial Infarction Represented by the Uninsured: a Growing Financial Burden in the United States

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany Doran ◽  
Yu Guo ◽  
Jinfeng Xu ◽  
Sripal Bangalore
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Hospital Stays ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Cost

Introduction: Under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, insurance coverage will markedly increase with the Congressional Budgetary Office estimating the number of insured to increase by approximately 13 million in 2014 and 25 million in 2016. However, approximately 31 million non-elderly US citizens are expected to remain without health insurance in 2016. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a source of significant morbidity and mortality, as well as cost to society. No prior studies have examined temporal rates of uninsured among patients presenting with an AMI using a nationally representative database. Hypothesis: We tested the hypothesis that the proportion of uninsured individuals with AMI and cost of uninsured to society will vary by year. Methods: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), which contains estimates from approximately 8 million hospital visits and information related to number of discharges, aggregate charges, and principal diagnoses of all patients discharged in the US. We calculated the percentage of acute myocardial infarction by insurance status, and the sum of all charges of hospital stays in the US adjusted for inflation. Results: The cost to society due to acute myocardial infarction in the uninsured increased substantially from 1997 to 2012, with total cost in 1997 of $852,596,272 and $3,446,893,954 in 2012 after adjustment for inflation. In addition, although rates of AMI decreased in the general population (from 268.6/100,000 individuals in 1997 to 193.8/100,000 individuals in 2012), the proportion of individuals with AMI who were uninsured increased (from 3.83% in 1997 to 7.37% in 2012). Conclusions: The proportion of those experiencing AMI who are uninsured is rising, as is cost to society. It remains to be seen what the effects of expanding health insurance will have on the rate of AMI as well as proportion of AMI represented by the uninsured.

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