Living in the Readmission Era

Is it too early to call this the Readmission Decade? Readmissions are on everybody’s mind—identifying readmissions, preventing readmissions, considering the financial repercussions of having too many readmissions, lamenting the injustice of being held accountable for readmissions. Only time will tell whether this is a passing storm or here to stay, but for the moment the issue of readmissions is having its moment in the sun.Article see p 97Prior research has shown that a substantial proportion of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, ranging from 8% to 16%.1–7 Early readmissions are often unplanned and potentially preventable events that are associated with increased 30-day and 1-year mortality.2,6,8,9 To date, however, the interventional community at large has not had to fully engage in efforts to prevent unplanned readmission. Although many of the heart failure and acute myocardial infarction patients included in the publicly reported hospital readmission measures10,11 undergo PCIs, we have for the most part avoided being held accountable for readmissions after PCI. That privileged position may be in jeopardy, as recent events make it unlikely we will be able to remain above the fray much longer.In December 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began publicly reporting what …