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Cutting readmissions requires reducing complications

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 10, 2012

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Complications after surgery are the most significant risk factors that send general surgery patients back to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, says a study in the September Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Researchers analyzed records of 1,442 general surgery patients at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta between October 2009 and July 2011. Of those, 11.3% were readmitted within 30 days. Nearly half of readmissions were due to gastrointestinal complications and surgical infections, said the study (link).

The top surgical complications were pulmonary complications and wound and urinary tract infections. Hospitals face increasing pressure to reduce readmissions and will see reduced Medicare payments for excessive readmissions under the Affordable Care Act.

“Decreasing complications will benefit the patient, the hospital and the payer, and will improve quality of care,” said senior study author John F. Sweeney, MD, chief of the division of general and gastrointestinal surgery at Emory.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/09/10/prbf0910.htm.

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