For the study, researchers examined claims for a 5 percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2007 to 2009. In post-acute care episodes, patients whose episode contained at least one readmission cost Medicare twice as much, roughly $33,000 compared to $15,000 for patients without any readmissions. The researchers found when the number of chronic conditions per patient increased, so did the average number of readmissions, suggesting that a more complex patient is more likely to be readmitted.
The research aims to help policy-makers and the healthcare community better understand how hospital admissions and readmissions across post-acute, pre-acute and non-post acute care episodes affect the Medicare episode payment.
More Articles on Readmissions:
AHRQ Releases Common Format for Readmissions
Readmission Rates Persist Despite Looming Penalties
Healthcare Reform’s Cost Precipice: Q&A With Dr. David Gruber of Alvarez & Marsal
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