Study: 7-day vs 30-day readmissions as quality indicator

Editor's Note

Variation in hospital readmissions is highest on the first day and declines rapidly in the first 7 days after discharge, which suggests that most readmissions after 7 days may be due to community and household factors beyond the hospital’s control, this study finds.

The analysis included hospital readmissions for Medicare patients in four states and for three conditions: acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia.

Though public reporting and payment programs have embraced 30-day readmissions as an indicator of quality of care, shorter intervals of 7 days or fewer may improve the accuracy and equity of readmissions as a measure of quality, the authors say.

1David L. Chin (dlchin{at}ucdavis.edu ) is a postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, University of California, Davis, in Sacramento. 2Heejung Bang is a professor of biostatistics in the Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis. 3Raj N.