Readmission Rates in the U.S. vs. the Rest of the World

Trial data suggest that readmission after STEMI is more common — and length of initial hospital stay, shorter — in the U.S. than in other countries; but the picture may be skewed.

Hospitals throughout the U.S. are preparing for the introduction of financial penalties for high rates of readmission. According to prior studies, one in five patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) is readmitted within 30 days after discharge. To examine readmission rates after ST-segment-elevation MI (STEMI) in particular, and to compare them with rates in other countries, investigators performed a post-hoc analysis of data from the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction trial involving 5745 patients treated for STEMI during about 2 years at 296 sites in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and 13 European countries.

The 30-day nonelective readmission rate was 10.5% in the U.S. and 7.7% in the non-U.S. countri…

Reviewing Author

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime

EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science

Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime

EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science