Frequent use of postacute care after surgery associated with more readmissions

Editor's Note

Hospitals that more often refer patients to inpatient facilities (eg, skilled nursing homes or rehabilitation centers) after surgery also tend to have shorter lengths of stay and higher readmission rates, this study finds.

Researchers analyzed data for nearly 113,000 patients treated at 217 hospitals in 39 states. Higher 30-day readmission rates were associated with higher use of inpatient facilities (24.1% vs 21.2%). Hospitals with longer average length of stay used inpatient facilities less frequently (19.4% vs 24.4%).

The findings suggest that some hospitals may be using postacute care as a substitute for inpatient hospital care, the authors say.

Background: Little is known about hospital use of postacute care after surgery and whether it is related to measures of surgical quality. Research Design: We used data merged between a national surgery registry, Medicare inpatient claims, the Area Resource File, and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey (2005-2008).