Key result
Care transition and early follow-up initiatives linked to ~50% fewer 30-day heart failure readmissions.
Why the study?
Congestive heart failure has the highest 30-day readmission rate among medical conditions, and strategies to reduce these readmissions are needed.
Does a quality improvement initiative focusing on transition of care and early follow-up appointments reduce 30-day all-cause readmissions in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure exacerbations?
Population
Patients admitted with acute CHF exacerbation in November 2017 and November 2018 at a single hospital
Comparison
Quality improvement intervention cohort in 2018 vs historical cohort in 2017
Design
Retrospective cohort quality improvement study
Follow-up
30 days
Authors
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May support early follow-up scheduling to lower HF readmissions; leaves open need for randomized confirmation before practice change.
Cohort
No
Does a quality improvement initiative focusing on transition of care and early follow-up appointments reduce 30-day all-cause readmissions in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure exacerbations?
Absolute Event Rate: 14% vs 28%
A quality improvement initiative emphasizing patient education and early post-discharge follow-up appointments significantly reduces 30-day all-cause readmissions in patients with acute heart failure.
Nair et al. (2020) conducted a cohort in Acute heart failure exacerbations. Transition of care improvements and scheduled follow-up appointments within two weeks of discharge vs. Standard care (historical cohort from November 2017) was evaluated on 30-day all-cause readmission rate. A quality improvement initiative to improve transition of care and schedule early follow-up appointments reduced 30-day readmission rates for heart failure patients from 28% to 14%.
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