New Study Shows Shorter Lengths of Stay for Heart Failure Patients, Unclear Effect on Outcomes
June 02, 2010
A study of Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure between 1993-2006 showed shorter lengths of stay and lower rates of in-hospital mortality but higher readmission rates. The study was published in the June 2 Journal of the American Medical Association.
During the period of the study, the mean length of stay decreased from 8.81 days to 6.33 days, according to a study abstract. In-hospital mortality decreased from 8.5 percent to 4.3 percent, while 30-day mortality also shrank, but less significantly.
However, the study showed that 30-day readmission rates increased from 17.2 percent in 1993 to 20.1 percent in 2006.
Read an abstract of the Journal of the American Medical Association study on the quality care for heart failure.
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