READMISSION: Look at ED visits within 30 days of surgery

The percent of patients who had one or multiple emergency department visits within 30 days of being discharged from the hospital after surgery was analyzed in this study of national Medicare data.  The authors found that 17.3 percent of all of these patients who met the study parameters had one ED visit and 4.4 percent had multiple ED visits within the 30-day postdischarge window.  Of those patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, 56.5 percent were readmitted through the ED.  Looking at ED visits in the 30-day postdischarge period could be viewed as a quality indicator and an opportunity to head off a possible readmission.

Source: Kocher, K.E., Nallamothu, B.K., and others.  Emergency department visits after surgery are common for Medicare patients, suggesting opportunities to improve care.  Health Affairs;32(9):1600-1607, Sept. 2013.  Click here for access to the publisher’s website: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/9/1600.short  Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2003, rc@aha.org