Rehospitalization at a different hospital was associated with higher adjusted 30-day total payments (median additional cost $1308; P<0.001) but no significant difference in 30-day mortality.
Cohort (n=74,564)
Yes
Does rehospitalization at a different hospital or index hospitalization at a for-profit hospital affect payments and mortality among Medicare patients?
Rehospitalization at a different hospital is common among Medicare patients, is more likely following discharge from a for-profit hospital, and is associated with increased costs without improved mortality.
Effect estimate: median additional cost $1308
p-value: p=<0.001
BACKGROUND: About one quarter of rehospitalized Medicare patients are admitted to hospitals different from their original hospital. The extent to which this practice is related to for-profit hospital status and affects payments and mortality is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe and examine predictors of and payments for rehospitalization at a different hospital among Medicare patients rehospitalized within 30 days at for-profit and nonprofit or public hospitals. DESIGN: Cohort study of patients discharged and rehospitalized from January 2005 to November 2006. SETTING: Medicare fee-for-service hospitals throughout the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A 5% random national sample of Medicare patients with acute care rehospitalizations within 30 days of discharge (n = 74, 564). MEASUREMENTS: 30-day rehospitalizations at different hospitals and total payments or mortality over the subsequent 30 days. Multivariate logistic and quantile regression models included index hospital for-profit status, discharge counts, geographic region, rural-urban commuting area, and teaching status; patient sociodemographic characteristics, disability status, and comorbid conditions; and a measure of risk adjustment. RESULTS: 16 622 patients (22%) in the sample were rehospitalized at a different hospital. Factors associated with increased risk for rehospitalization at a different hospital included index hospitalization at a for-profit, major medical school-affiliated, or low-volume hospital and having a Medicare-defined disability. Compared with patients rehospitalized at the same hospital, patients rehospitalized at different hospitals had higher adjusted 30-day total payments (median additional cost, 1308 per patient; P < 0. 001) but no statistically significant differences in 30-day mortality, regardless of index hospital for-profit status. LIMITATION: The database lacked detailed clinical information about patients and did not include information about specific provider practice motivations or the role of patient choice in hospitalization venues. CONCLUSION: Rehospitalizations at different hospitals are common among Medicare patients, are more likely among those initially hospitalized at a for-profit hospital, and are related to increased overall payments without improved mortality. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: University of Wisconsin Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, National Institutes of Health.
Kind et al. (2010) conducted a cohort in Acute care rehospitalizations within 30 days of discharge (n=74,564). Rehospitalization at a different hospital vs. Rehospitalization at the same hospital was evaluated on 30-day total payments and mortality (median additional cost $1308, p=<0.001). Rehospitalization at a different hospital was associated with higher adjusted 30-day total payments (median additional cost $1308; P<0.001) but no significant difference in 30-day mortality.