title: Underlying reasons associated with hospital readmission following surgery in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Financial penalties for readmission have been expanded beyond medical conditions to include surgical procedures. Hospitals are working to reduce readmissions; however, little is known about the reasons for surgical readmission.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the reasons, timing, and factors associated with unplanned postoperative readmissions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients undergoing surgery at one of 346 continuously enrolled US hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, had clinically abstracted information examined. Readmission rates and reasons (ascertained by clinical data abstractors at each hospital) were assessed for all surgical procedures and for 6 representative operations: bariatric procedures, colectomy or proctectomy, hysterectomy, total hip or knee arthroplasty, ventral hernia repair, and lower extremity vascular bypass.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unplanned 30-day readmission and reason for readmission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The unplanned readmission rate for the 498,875 operations was 5.7%. For the individual procedures, the readmission rate ranged from 3.8% for hysterectomy to 14.9% for lower extremity vascular bypass. The most common reason for unplanned readmission was surgical site infection (SSI) overall (19.5%) and also after colectomy or proctectomy (25.8%), ventral hernia repair (26.5%), hysterectomy (28.8%), arthroplasty (18.8%), and lower extremity vascular bypass (36.4%). Obstruction or ileus was the most common reason for readmission after bariatric surgery (24.5%) and the second most common reason overall (10.3%), after colectomy or proctectomy (18.1%), ventral hernia repair (16.7%), and hysterectomy (13.4%). Only 2.3% of patients were readmitted for the same complication they had experienced during their index hospitalization. Only 3.3% of patients readmitted for SSIs had experienced an SSI during their index hospitalization. There was no time pattern for readmission, and early (≤7 days postdischarge) and late (>7 days postdischarge) readmissions were associated with the same 3 most common reasons: SSI, ileus or obstruction, and bleeding. Patient comorbidities, index surgical admission complications, non-home discharge (hazard ratio [HR], 1.40 [95% CI, 1.35-1.46]), teaching hospital status (HR, 1.14 [95% CI 1.07-1.21]), and higher surgical volume (HR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.07-1.25]) were associated with a higher risk of hospital readmission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Readmissions after surgery were associated with new postdischarge complications related to the procedure and not exacerbation of prior index hospitalization complications, suggesting that readmissions after surgery are a measure of postdischarge complications. These data should be considered when developing quality indicators and any policies penalizing hospitals for surgical readmission.
authors: Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois2Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center (SOQIC), Department of Surgery and Center for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Uni.
authors: Ryan P
authors: RP
authors: Merkow
authors: Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois2Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center (SOQIC), Department of Surgery and Center for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Uni.
authors: Mila H
authors: MH
authors: Ju
authors: Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center (SOQIC), Department of Surgery and Center for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois3Northwestern Institute for Comparative Effectiveness Research in Onc.
authors: Jeanette W
authors: JW
authors: Chung
authors: Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois5School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St Louis, Missouri6Center for Health Policy, Olin Business.
authors: Bruce L
authors: BL
authors: Hall
authors: Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Mark E
authors: ME
authors: Cohen
authors: Center for Health Services Research, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
authors: Mark V
authors: MV
authors: Williams
authors: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts11Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Thomas C
authors: TC
authors: Tsai
authors: Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois12Department of Surgery, University of California-Los Angeles13VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California.
authors: Clifford Y
authors: CY
authors: Ko
authors: Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois2Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center (SOQIC), Department of Surgery and Center for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Uni.
authors: Karl Y
authors: KY
authors: Bilimoria
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology