Readmissions

The numbers associated with hospital readmissions are staggering. According to AHRQ, there were approximately 3.3 million adult 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions in the U.S. in 2011, and they were associated with about $41.3 billion in hospital costs. Medicare had the largest share of total readmissions (55.9 percent) and associated costs for readmissions (58.2 percent), followed by Medicaid (20.6 percent and 18.4 percent, respectively). The remainder fell to privately or uninsured patient readmissions.

Many factors can contribute to costly hospital readmissions. By using predictive analytics, healthcare systems can proactively identify patients likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days post-discharge. With this valuable knowledge in hand, care teams can implement targeted interventions with patients and caregivers to reduce the risk of readmission. These interventions can have a profound impact on patients’ health outcomes and quality of life, as well as the healthcare system’s financial wellbeing.