Critical Care Medicine www.ccmjournal.org 2773 Objectives: To determine the rate of unplanned PICU readmissions, examine the characteristics of index admissions associated with readmission, and compare outcomes of readmissions versus index admissions. Design: Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting: Ninety North American PICUs that participated in the Virtual Pediatric Intensive Care Unit System...

BACKGROUND The postdischarge period is a vulnerable time for patients, with high rates of adverse events that may cause unnecessary readmissions, especially in the elderly. Because postdischarge care continuity is often interrupted after hospitalist care, close follow-up may decrease patient readmission. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of a quality improvement program, integra...

IMPORTANCE To better guide strategies intended to reduce high rates of 30-day readmission after hospitalization for heart failure (HF), acute myocardial infarction (MI), or pneumonia, further information is needed about readmission diagnoses, readmission timing, and the relationship of both to patient age, sex, and race. OBJECTIVE To examine readmission diagnoses and timing among Medicare ben...

BACKGROUND Multidisciplinary heart failure (HF) clinics are efficacious in clinical trials. Our objectives were to compare real-world outcomes of patients with HF treated in HF clinics versus usual therapy and identify HF clinic features associated with improved outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS The service components at all HF clinics in Ontario, Canada, were quantified using a validated instrum...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To characterize the frequency and nature of readmissions to free standing pediatric hospitals after otolaryngologic procedures. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective national database analysis. METHODS Using the Pediatric Health Information Systems database, we examined 30-day inpatient readmissions in children less than 18 years old who underwent otolaryngology procedures betwee...

Many hospitals and health care systems are focusing on improving performance and patient outcomes in cardiovascular services, with a particular emphasis on how the management of heart failure can prevent readmissions, decrease the cost per case, and improve the quality and satisfaction for this particular patient population. Quality outcomes and optimal lifestyle management of chronic care dise...

OBJECTIVE The research objective was to determine the expectations of and satisfaction with the healthcare coach (HCC) role among hospitalists and staff RNs, as well as expectations of case managers who collaborate with them. BACKGROUND Care transitions occur when patients move from 1 care setting or provider to another. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services developed the Community-Bas...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Ethnic disparities in readmission after stroke have been inadequately studied. We sought to compare potentially preventable readmissions (PPR) among a multiethnic population in Hawaii. METHODS Hospitalization data in Hawaii from 2007 to 2012 were assessed to compare ethnic differences in 30-day PPR after stroke-related hospitalizations. Multivariable models using logist...

BACKGROUND An accurate prediction of unplanned readmission (UR) after discharge from hospital can facilitate physician's decision making processes for providing better quality of care in geriatric patients. The objective of this study was to explore the association of cardiac autonomic functions as measured by frequency domain heart rate variability (HRV) and 14-day UR in geriatric patients. ...