Accounting for the Growth of Observation Stays in the Assessment of Medicare's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Decreases in 30-day readmissions following the implementation of the Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) have occurred against the backdrop of increasing hospital observation stay use, yet observation stays are not captured in readmission measures.

Objective

To examine whether the HRRP was associated with decreases in 30-day readmissions after accounting for observation stays.

Design, setting, and participants

This retrospective cohort study included a 20% sample of inpatient admissions and observation stays among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2015. Data analysis was performed from November 2021 to June 2022. A differences-in-differences analysis assessed changes in 30-day readmissions after

SUBMITTER: Sabbatini AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9672971 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature