Living In High-Poverty Neighborhoods Linked To 24% Higher Chance Of Readmission

Medicare beneficiaries from high poverty neighborhoods had a 24% higher likelihood of hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge than other beneficiaries during 2010. Married patients, even from high poverty neighborhoods, had a 20% lower risk of readmission. Readmissions appear to be influenced by patient-level demographic and socioeconomic circumstances that are completely outside a hospital's control.

These findings were reported in “Socioeconomic Status And Readmissions: Evidence From An Urban Teaching Hospital," by Jianhui Hu, Meredith D. Gonsahn, and David R. Nerenz. The authors analyzed data from Henry Ford Hospital, a single hospital in the Henry Ford Health System . . .