Readmission to a different hospital following acute stroke is associated with worse outcomes

Objective There is a high risk of readmission within 30 days of index acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but effect of readmission to a different hospital is not known. We performed a retrospective cohort study to assess our hypothesis that 30-day readmission outcomes after AIS are worse for those readmitted to another hospital vs the discharging hospital. Methods We utilized the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database to identify patients with index stroke admissions with ICD-9-CM codes. We identified all-cause readmissions with Clinical Classification Software. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS), total charges of hospitalization, and in-hospital mortality during 30-day readmission. Using linear and logistic regression, outcomes were compared in those readmitted to another hospital vs the discharging hospital. Results There were 194,549 patients included, with an average age of 80.0 ± 14.0 years; 51.2% were female; 24,545 were readmitted within 30 days, and 7,274 (29.6%) to a different hospital. Readmission to a different hospital was associated with an increased LOS of 1.0 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7-1.2, p < 0.0001) and $7,677.28 (95% CI $5,496-$9,858, p < 0.0001) greater total charges. The odds ratio for in-hospital mortality during readmission was 1.2 for readmission to another hospital (95% CI 1.0-1.3, p = 0.0079). Conclusions Readmission to another hospital within 30 days of AIS index admission was independently associated with longer LOS, increased total charges, and greater in-hospital mortality compared to readmission to the same hospital.