New research now shows that non-medical factors may have a significant impact on re-hospitalization rates among seniors. Social factors, including a patient’s living situation and socioeconomic status, are now thought to influence readmission rates but are not yet taken into account by CMS when calculating penalties.
These studies found that a person’s age, race, employment status, living situation, education and income levels affected their chances of returning to the hospital again, particularly among patients with pneumonia and heart failure.
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For pneumonia and heart failure patients, social factors linked to readmission include:
- Being a male
- Being of older age or elderly
- Coming from African American or Hispanic background
- Having a lower level of education
- Earning no or low Income
- Unemployment
- Status of Uunmarried
- Living alone and having a lack of social support
- Living in a rural area or living far away from a hospital
- Medicaid insurance coverage
- Engaging in risky behaviors: smoking, drug use
In light of these details linking non-medical factors to high readmissions, how do you think doctors, case managers, and discharge planners can use this information to improve follow-up strategies for high-risk patients?
