Readmission Rates for Community-Dwelling Older Adults Similar to Other Populations

​Almost one in five Medicare beneficiaries who did not live in residential care communities and who were hospitalized from 2000 to 2005 were readmitted at least once within 30 days of discharge, according to a September 28, 2015, National Health Statistics Report. The conclusion is based on National Health Interview Survey data on interviews with 25,593 Medicare beneficiaries who did not live in residential care facilities. Of those, 5,355 were hospitalized and discharged alive at least once within a year of the interview, and 1,033 beneficiaries (19%) were readmitted within 30 days of their hospital discharge; those beneficiaries accounted for 1,491 readmissions overall.