Is the Readmission Rate a Valid Quality Indicator? A Review of the Evidence
Why the study?
Are hospital readmission rates a valid quality indicator for hospital care?
Population
102 papers included in a systematic literature review published between January 2001 and May 2013
Design
Systematic_review
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Readmission rates lack validity as quality indicators; challenges their use in hospital benchmarking and extends calls for refined metrics with better data standards.
Structured PICO
Are hospital readmission rates a valid quality indicator for hospital care?
P
Population
102 papers included in a systematic literature review published between January 2001 and May 2013
I
Intervention
Use of hospital readmission rates as a quality indicator
O
Outcome
Methodological aspects in the definition and measurement of readmission rates
Readmission rates have significant methodological limitations as quality indicators, requiring better data registration, case-mix correction, and bundling with other outcomes for accurate assessment.
Cite This Study
Fischer et al. (2014) studied this question.