Functional Status and Hospital Readmissions Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Hospital readmissions are expensive and they may signal poor quality of care. Whether functional status is related to hospital readmissions using a representative U.S sample remains unexplored .

We aimed to assess the relationship between functional status and all-cause 30-day hospital readmissions using a representative sample of the US population.

This was a retrospective observational study (2003-2011).

The study included 3,772 patients who completed the SF-12 before being hospitalized. Three hundred and eighteen (8.4%) were readmitted within 30 days after being discharged.

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) was employed. Functional status was measured with the Short-Form 12-Item Health Survey Version 2® (SF-12). The probability of being readmitted was estimated using a logistic model controlling for demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, insurance coverage, physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) summaries of the SF-12, reason for hospitalization, length of hospital stay, region, and residential area.

A one-unit difference in PCS reduced the odds of readmission by 2% (odds ratio 0.98 [95% CI, 0.97 to 0.99]; p < 0.001), which implies an 18% reduction in the odds of readmissions for a ten-unit difference (one standard deviation) in PCS. The c-statistic of the model was 0.72.

Baseline physical function is associated with hospital readmissions. The SF-12 improves the ability to identify patients at high risk of hospital readmission.