The potential for community-based health information exchange systems to reduce hospital readmissions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hospital readmissions are common, costly, and offer opportunities for utilization reduction. Electronic health information exchange (HIE) systems may help prevent readmissions by improving access to clinical data by ambulatory providers after discharge from the hospital.

Objective

We sought to determine the association between HIE system usage and 30-day same-cause hospital readmissions among patients who consented and participated in an operational community-wide HIE during a 6-month period in 2009-2010.

Methods

We identified a retrospective cohort of hospital readmissions among adult patients in the Rochester, New York area. We analyzed claims files from two health plans that insure more than 60% of the area population. To be included in the dataset, pati

SUBMITTER: Vest JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11749186 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature