Abstract
Hospital readmission rates are increasingly used as a performance indicator. Whether they are a valid, reliable, and actionable measure for behavioral health is unknown. Using the MarketScan Multistate Medicaid Claims Database, this study examined hospital- and patient-level predictors of behavioral health readmission rates. Among hospitals with at least 25 annual admissions, the median behavioral health readmission rate was 11% (10th percentile, 3%; 90th percentile, 18%). Increased follow-up at community mental health centers was associated with lower probabilities of readmission, although follow-up with other types of providers was not significantly associated with hospital readmissions. Hospital average length of stay was positively associated with lower readmission rates; however, the effect size was small. Patients with a prior inpatient stay, a substance use disorder, psychotic illness, and medical comorbidities were more likely to be readmitted. Additional research is needed to further understand how the provision of inpatient services and post-discharge follow-up influence readmissions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Minya Sheng of Thomson Reuters for programming and reviewing the data, Sasha Frankel for help formatting and checking results, and Linda Lee, Ph.D., for editorial review. This research was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Mark, T., Tomic, K.S., Kowlessar, N. et al. Hospital Readmission Among Medicaid Patients with an Index Hospitalization for Mental and/or Substance Use Disorder. J Behav Health Serv Res 40, 207–221 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9323-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-013-9323-5