The causes of most hospital readmissions after surgery may complicate the use of performance-based reimbursement to reduce such returns.
“The reasons why patients come back after surgery are due to expected complications,” not the worsening of existing medical conditions, noted Dr. Karl Y. Bilimoria of Northwestern University, Chicago, and lead author of a new study on what drives 30-day hospital readmissions after surgery (JAMA 2015;313:483-95).
In a video interview, Dr. Bilimoria discussed the challenges that the timing and causes of postsurgical readmissions present for prevention programs and for pay-for-performance initiatives.