Reduction in readmissions not linked to increased mortality

Editor's Note

Reductions in readmissions associated with the Affordable Care Act have not had the unintended consequence of increasing mortality after hospital discharge, finds this study.

Analysis of more than 5 million Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure, heart attack, or pneumonia, found that reductions in hospital 30-day readmission rates were weakly but significantly associated with reductions in 30-day mortality after discharge.

A limitation of the study is that it included only three conditions, and findings may not apply to readmission reductions for conditions not targeted by the Affordable Care Act, the authors say.

This cohort study examines whether reductions in hospital readmission rates following hospitalizations for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia are associated with mortality rates after hospital discharge among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.