Joint Replacement Readmissions Down Among Medicare Beneficiaries

An analysis of unplanned hospital readmissions following elective hip and knee replacement procedures found that between 2009 and 2013, the readmission rate among people ages 50 to 84 fell, and that the reduction was concentrated by a drop among people age 65 and older. Across the period 2009 to 2014, the unplanned readmission rates for hip replacement procedures fell by 20% among adults ages 50 to 84, while the rate of unplanned readmissions for knee replacement procedures fell by 23%.

These findings were reported in “Hospital Readmission Rates Falling Among Older Adults Receiving Joint Replacements” by Leigh Purvis and Elizabeth . . .