How Leading Hospitals Operationalize Evidence-Based Readmission Reduction Strategies: A Mixed-Methods Comparative Study Using Systematic Review and Survey Design

Although various interventions targeted at reducing hospital readmissions have been identified in the literature, little is known about actual operationalization of such evidence-based interventions. This study conducted a systematic review and a survey of key informants in 2 leading hospitals, Houston Methodist (HM) and MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), to compare and contrast the most cited evidence-based interventions in the current literature with interventions reported by those hospitals. The authors found that both hospitals followed evidence-based practices reported as successful in the literature. Both hospitals have implemented interventions for inpatient settings, and the timing of interventions was very similar. Major implementation differences observed for post-discharge interventions focused on collaboration. It also was found that HM was more likely than MDACC to use medication reconciliation in outpatient (P =.018) and discharge planning for community/home patients (P =.032). Results will provide hospital professionals with insights for implementing the most effective interventions to reduce readmissions.