Hospital return visits at 25%, U.S. study finds
More than a fourth of all hospital patients were readmitted within two years for the same conditions that prompted their initial hospitalization, according to a new federal study.
The study released Wednesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality adds to a growing body of research suggesting that revolving-door admissions are adding billions of dollars, perhaps unnecessarily, to the country's growing health care costs.
Last week, California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development issued its own study saying that more than a third of patients hospitalized in California are readmitted within a year.
But unlike the state's study, which did not distinguish the reasons for repeat hospital visits, the federal study looked at readmissions based on the originating ailment.
The federal study analyzed data on 15 million patients in 12 states, including California in 2006 and 2007. The study focused particularly on chronic ailments, such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.
"High rates of repeat patient visits to the hospital," the report states, "may indicate deficiencies in the health care delivery system."
Both state and federal researchers found that patients on the government's two biggest insurance programs – Medicare and Medicaid, referred to as Medi-Cal in California – had the highest rates of readmission.
Also, the federal study showed that the poor also had higher readmission rates.