Clinical and sociodemographic risk factors for readmission of Medicare beneficiaries

In a random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, multiple logistic regression was used to examine clinical, sociodemographic, and insurance coverage risk factors for readmission within 60 days of discharge. The patients most likely to be readmitted were those with poor health status or with chronic diseases and those who had not had surgery. Age, marital status, living situation, and having insurance to supplement Medicare were not independently predictive of readmission risk. The dominant roles of health status, diagnosis, and surgery as predictors of readmission provide evidence that risk-adjusted readmission rates can be equitably used for quality of care studies.

在医疗保险受益人的随机样本中，采用多元逻辑回归分析来研究出院60天内再入院的临床、社会人口统计学以及保险覆盖风险因素。最有可能再入院的患者是那些健康状况不佳或患有慢性疾病以及未进行手术的人。年龄、婚姻状况、居住情况以及拥有补充医疗保险的情况并不能独立预测再入院风险。健康状况、诊断和手术作为再入院预测因素的主导作用提供了证据，表明风险调整后的再入院率可公平地用于医疗质量研究。