Connecticut’s 30 Day Readmission Rate to Index Hospital 15% Higher than National Rate
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By: Saparja Nag Nov. 21, 2017
30 day readmission rates to index hospitals are commonly used to measure the continuity of care that patients receive. The metric is often utilized in hospital comparisons to explain differences in quality of care. The state of Connecticut had the highest proportion of readmissions admitted to the index hospital in the country based on Medicare data between October 2015 and September 2016. Dexur’s analysis revealed the 3 Connecticut hospitals with the highest readmission rates to index hospitals were Danbury Hospital, Stamford Hospital, and Yale-New Haven Hospital. A primer on 30 day readmissions to index and non-index hospitals can be found here.
Danbury Hospital, a member of the Western Connecticut Health Network, is a non-profit community hospital. They had 8,007 Medicare discharges between October 2015 and September 2016 while also contributing $143 million to the community. Stamford Hospital is a Level II trauma center that serves Fairfield county, CT and Westchester county, NY, treating 4,453 Medicare discharges during this data time period. Yale-New Haven Hospital is the highest volume hospital in Connecticut with 22,191 Medicare inpatient discharges. They are nationally recognized for patient care, clinical research, and healthcare equality.
- Danbury Hospital makes up 6.00% of Connecticut’s total inpatient Medicare discharges and has a readmission rate that is 1.21 times the average of Connecticut’s. Danbury Hospital’s emphasis on community care may translate to individualized medical treatment that encourages patients to return to physicians and nurses they know.
- Stamford Hospital is the smallest of the 3 top hospitals, only accounting for 3.33% of the state’s total Medicare inpatient discharges. The high readmission rate to index hospital for Stamford Hospital may suggest that more personalized and intimate care can encourage patients to return for a readmission visit.
- Yale-New Haven Hospital Medicare inpatient discharges makes up 16.6% of Connecticut’s total. YNHH was increased 17% from the state average, therefore the quality of care that YNHH is renowned for may play a role in the majority of patients returning when readmission is necessary.
- These 3 hospitals are located in New Haven and Fairfield counties, which together make up 66.96% of the total Connecticut population despite being only a quarter of the state by area. The proximity to the New York metropolitan area also may play a role in these significant values.
- Connecticut is a relatively small state with a readmission rate to index hospitals 128% of the national average. The 70.48% readmission rate to index hospitals is the highest of all 50 states. Having 3 hospitals with readmission rates to index hospitals above 80% has a considerable impact on the state average.
| Region | Total Medicare Inpatient Discharges | % Readmission Rate to Index Hospital |
|---|---|---|
| Danbury Hospital | 8,007 | 85.42 |
| Stamford Hospital | 4,453 | 83.68 |
| Yale-New Haven Hospital | 22,191 | 82.76 |
| CT | 133,575 | 70.48 |
| National | 11,053,520 | 55.04 |
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