Effects of a pharmacist-driven intervention program on hospital readmissions.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmacy Practice
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Hospital readmissions pose a significant burden on healthcare systems, particularly for Medicare fee-for-service patients.
• Effective medication management during care transitions is crucial for preventing adverse events and readmissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a multifaceted medication-focused intervention in reducing hospital readmissions.
• To assess the impact of pharmacist involvement in medication reconciliation, education, and follow-up on readmission rates.

Main Methods:

• A quality-improvement cohort study involving 1,059 admissions of 667 patients at an inner-city safety-net hospital.
• Implementation of the "Medication REACH" intervention, featuring direct pharmacist involvement from admission through postdischarge.
• Comparison of 30-day unplanned readmission rates between full-intervention, partial-intervention, and standard care groups.

Main Results:

• Patients receiving the full Medication REACH intervention had a 9.8% readmission rate, compared to 20.4% in the standard care group (p < 0.001).
• Adjusted analysis showed a 9.4 percentage point reduction in readmission risk favoring the full-intervention group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Routine, multifaceted medication interventions involving pharmacists are feasible and effective in reducing 30-day hospital readmissions.
• Enhanced pharmacist collaboration with healthcare teams during patient transitions significantly lowers readmission rates.