STROKE: Patients who receive physical therapy (PT) services are less likely to be readmitted

Our findings clearly demonstrate that higher intensity of rehabilitation services in the acute setting has a major impact on downstream outcomes, such as hospital readmission.”

Older patients who have suffered an ischemic stroke are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days if they participate in physical therapy while in the hospital for the stroke.  This was a study of nearly 89,000 Medicare fee-for-service patients who were hospitalized nationwide in 2010.  Overall, the 30-day readmission rate was found to be 14 percent.

Source: Kuman, A., Resnik, L., Karmarkar, A., and others. (2019, July). Archives of Physical and Medical Rehabilitation, 100(7), 1218-1225. Click here for free full text:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6599551/pdf/nihms-1013343.pdf   Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2003, rc@aha.org