Readmission Predictors Change with Time, ED Revisits Costlier Than Visits

​Predictors of the need for readmission to the hospital following discharge change throughout the first 30 days and may require different prevention strategies, according to the results of a study published in the June 2, 2015, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The study, which evaluated 13,334 admissions between January 2009 and December 2010 at a single academic medical center, found that early readmissions were associated with markers of acute illness burden (e.g., length of hospital stay, need for a rapid response team), markers of chronic illness burden (e.g., receiving a medication indicating organ failure), and social determinants of health (e.g., barriers to learning). The data indicated that late readmissions were associated with markers of chronic illness burden (e.g., receiving a medication indicating organ failure or hemodialysis) and social determinants of health (e.g., barriers to learning, having unsupplemented Medicare or Medicaid).