Each Medicare hip surgery readmission could cost a hospital an average net loss of $11,494 if CMS stops reimbursing for them, according to a study in The Journal of Arthroplasty.
A study of 1,583 consecutive primary total hip arthroplasty cases at one hospital yielded a 6.51 percent 30-day readmission rate. Patients with increased age, length of stay and body mass index had a higher likelihood of being readmitted, and the most common readmission diagnoses were deep infection, pain and hematoma.
The average profit for hip surgeries with readmissions was $1,548, compared with $2,872 for cases without a readmission. The hospital would have had a net loss of $11,494 if CMS did not reimburse for hip surgery readmissions, and it would need to keep its readmission rate less than 23.6 percent to remain profitable, according to the study.
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