Reducing Readmissions and Recurrent Stroke

Hospital readmissions contribute to the large public health burden from stroke. We are evaluating the one year hospital readmission rates and clinical factors associated with readmission in a patients hospitalized for stroke in the northeastern Ohio region.

Some facts about hospital readmission in Northeastern Ohio Medicare patients admitted for stroke (Stroke 2006;37(2):637) :

• 14% of patient with stroke surviving the stroke admission died out of the hospital within the first year after stroke
• 43% stroke survivors were readmitted to the hospital within 1 year
• Rate of readmission was highest early after discharge with 30% of initial readmissions in the first year after stroke occurring within 30 days.
• Median length of readmission stay was 6 days, which was the same as the stroke admission
• 41% of readmitted patients had at least one additional readmission in the 1st year
• 26% of those readmitted to the hospital died after readmission but within one year of index stroke hospitalization