Outcomes Measurement and Data Management Project: Hospital Readmissions

Charmein Garner and Celeste Thomas

Loyola University New Orleans

Outcomes Management Project
Defined Issue or Problem of Interest
The selected problem of interest is hospital readmissions after being discharged from hospitals/medical facilities. Several patients enter the hospital and soon after discharge are catapulted back into the seemingly revolving doors of the hospital. Readmission rates affect all areas of healthcare. Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has targeted readmissions as a guideline of poor quality of care. Engaging patients during their inpatient admission as they transition to alternate levels of care may reduce readmission by …show more content…

2011, p. 2018).
Care which takes place pre, during, and post hospitalization directly impacts patient outcomes. “Chronic medical illness requires close outpatient management, and early outpatient follow up after hospitalization, as well as disease management and patient education, this can reduce readmissions among both white and minority populations” (Joynt, Orav, & Jha, 2011).
According to Joynt, Orav, & Jha (2011), elderly black patients have higher 30 day readmission rates than white patients’ diagnoses with CHF, pneumonia, and AMI. There is a 13% higher chance of readmission of black patients than white patients. Patients discharged from minority-serving hospitals have a There is a 23% higher chance of readmission for patients discharged from predominately minority serving facilities versus that of non-minorities.
A Clearly Defined Target Population of Interest The population we have chosen to evaluate for this topic is the elderly, those who are age sixty-five and older. The elderly population has been selected because they are the fastest growing population. By 2030, adults 65 and older will double to approximately 71 million, impacting the nation’s health care system. Eighty percent of the growing elderly population has at least one chronic condition, and fifty percent have at least two chronic conditions. According to Nolan (2009), the elderly frequently visit the emergency department (ED).
Rates of older adult visits to the ED