- For both 7-day and 30-day readmissions, the rate of readmission was highest among patients with Medicare, followed by patients with Medicaid, no insurance, and private insurance.
- Among Medicaid patients who were discharged with congestive heart failure or schizophrenia at the index stay, nearly 1 in 10 stays resulted in readmission within 7 days.
- Among patients readmitted within 30 days of an index stay for septicemia or schizophrenia, uninsured patients were more likely than patients with insurance to return within 7 days.
•  In 2014, 14 percent of inpatient stays were readmitted within 30 days. More than one-third of these readmissions occurred within 7 days, reflecting a 7-day readmission rate of 5 percent.
Top 5 principal diagnoses with the highest 7-day and 30-day readmission rates, 2014 |
|||||
Principal diagnosis at the index stay | Index stays | Â Â 7-day readmissions | Â Â 30-day readmissions | ||
Rank | Ratea | Rank | Ratea | ||
Total inpatient stays | 27,698,101 | – | 5.0 | – | 13.9 |
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders | 374,097 | 1 | 9.0 | 2 | 22.9 |
Alcohol-related disorders | 340,076 | 2 | 7.5 | 4 | 21.5 |
Congestive heart failure; non-hypertensive | 795,709 | 3 | 7.4 | 1 | 23.2 |
Heart valve disorders | 117,788 | 4 | 7.3 | 14 | 18.4 |
Hypertension with complications, secondary hypertension | 223,396 | 5 | 7.2 | 6 | 20.9 |
a Rate per 100 index inpatient stays
Source: AHRQ
See additional details
Lisa Remington is president and publisher of the Remington Report magazine and President of Remington’s Home Care Leadership Think Tank. She has worked with more than 10,000 organizations in both a consultancy role and an educator. Lisa monitors the complex key trends and forces of change to develop a correct strategic approach to de-risk decision-making and create sustainable futures across the healthcare continuum.