Generally, Shorter Hospital Length of Stay Didn't Affect 30-Day Readmission Rates

But a tipping point can be reached, at which too-short LOS is associated with more readmissions.

Hospitals are under increasing pressure to shorten length of stay (LOS); at the same time, scrutiny of readmission rates is intensifying. How does shortening LOS affect 30-day readmission rates and mortality? In an observational study of all 129 acute care U.S. Veterans Affairs hospitals, researchers examined these trends for all medical diagnoses between 1997 and 2010.

During 14 years, more than 4 million admissions were entered into the database. The annual proportion of patients older than 85 increased from 2.5% to 8.8%, whereas the proportion of patients younger than 45 decreased from 8.8% to 4.8%; significantly more patients had multiple comorbid conditions by 2010. In risk-adjusted analyses, the LOS for all medical diagnoses decreased …

Reviewing Author

Jamaluddin Moloo, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportColorado Health Foundation

Jamaluddin Moloo, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportColorado Health Foundation