title: Characteristics Associated with Home Health Care Referrals at Hospital Discharge: Results from the 2012 National Inpatient Sample.
abstract: To assess patient- and hospital-level factors associated with home health care (HHC) referrals following nonelective U.S. patient hospitalizations in 2012.
  
  
  
  The 2012 National Inpatient Sample (NIS).
  
  
  
  Retrospective, cross-sectional multivariable logistic regression modeling to assess patient- and hospital-level variables in patient discharges with versus without HHC referrals.
  
  
  
  Analysis included 1,109,905 discharges in patients ≥65 years with Medicare.
  
  
  
  About 29.2 percent of discharges were referred to HHC, which were more likely with older age, female sex, urban location, low income, longer length of stay, higher severity of illness scores, diagnoses of heart failure or sepsis, and hospital location in New England (referent: Pacific).
  
  
  
  As health policy changes influence postacute HHC, defining specific diagnoses and regional patterns associated with HHC is a first step to optimize postacute HHC services.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Medicine Section, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Christine D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Hospital Medicine Section, Division of General Internal Medicine, Division of Health Care Policy and Research, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Heidi L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wald
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Rebecca S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Boxer
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Frederick A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Masoudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO.|Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capp
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Care Policy and Research, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
authors.forename: Adit A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ginde
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: Home health care; care transitions; regional variation