Fracture-Related Readmission Rates in Women with Osteoporosis Nearly Double From 30 to 90 Days


In Osteoporosis

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By: James Pitt  May. 07, 2018

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones lose density over time. It is more common in women than men. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 24.5% of women over 65 have osteoporosis. Bone fractures are an especially important risk of osteoporosis, as elderly people with bone fractures are more likely to die within two years.

A Dexur analysis examined how osteoporosis can affect the timing of readmissions for fractures, using 2013-2016 CMS claims data for women at 14 major hospitals in Iowa. Between 2013 and 2016, these hospitals discharged 141,802 Medicare-eligible women as inpatients. 29,042 of these women (20%) were discharged with osteoporosis.

Up to 30 days after discharge, 1.17% of women discharged with osteoporosis and 0.52% of women discharged with other conditions were readmitted with fractures. These rates increase roughly linearly with time. At 90 days, the readmissions rate for women discharged with osteoporosis is nearly twice what it was at 30 days.

When interpreting these rates, it is important to be aware that they are cumulative. The 90-day readmissions rate includes women readmitted within 60 days or 30 days.

The timing of readmissions is valuable information. First, many public reporting and payment programs use 30-day readmission rates as a quality measure. Second, the timing of readmissions can provide providers with useful information on unmet needs. If patients are more likely to be re-injured in a particular interval, providers can target interventions for that interval. See Dexur's primer on 30-day readmissions for more information.

A quick side note: May is National Osteoporosis Month. The National Osteoporosis Foundation provides prevention advice for people at risk of osteoporosis.

DEXUR PRO MEMBERS GET ACCESS TO:

  1. Total discharges and 30, 60, and 90-day readmissions rates for all fractures at University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics; Mercy Medical Center - Dubuque; St Luke's Hospital; Iowa Methodist Medical Center; Mercy Medical Center - Cedar Rapids; Mercy Medical Center - Des Moines; Mercy Iowa City; Mary Greeley Medical Center; Unitypoint - Allen Hospital; CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs; Iowa Lutheran Hospital; St. Luke's Regional Medical Center; Mercy Medical Center - Sioux City; and Great River Health System.
  2. Osteoporosis-related discharges and 30, 60, and 90-day readmissions rates for osteoporosis-related fractures at all of the above hospitals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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James Pitt

James Pitt is a science writer with experience in medical devices and textbook publishing. His hobbies include reading, flintknapping, and squinting at RStudio. He received a bachelor's in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard.