JAMA Issue Focuses on Readmissions and Care Transitions

From 2007 through 2009, readmission for any cause within 30 days occurred after 25% of heart failure admissions, 20% of acute myocardial infarction (MI) admissions, and 18% of pneumonia readmissions, found a study in the January 23/30, 2013, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA). Part of an issue focusing on readmissions, the study examined 30-day readmissions among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries age 65 or older who were initially admitted for any of the three conditions. Among readmissions, the most common readmission diagnosis for those initially hospitalized for heart failure (35%) and those initially hospitalized for acute MI (19%) was heart failure. Among readmissions for which the initial admission was for pneumonia, recurrent pneumonia was the most common readmission diagnosis (22%). Most readmissions—61% of heart failure readmissions, 68% of acute MI readmissions, and 63% of pneumonia readmissions—occurred within the first 15 days.