Impact of discharge medication bedside delivery service on hospital reutilization

To evaluate the impact of a medication to bedside delivery (meds-to-beds) service on hospital reutilization in an adult population.

A retrospective, single-center, observational cohort study was conducted within a regional academic medical center from January 2017 to July 2017. Adult patients discharged from an internal medicine unit with at least one maintenance medication were evaluated. The primary outcome was the incidence of 30-day hospital reutilization between two groups: discharged patients who received meds-to-beds versus those who did not. Additionally, the incidence of 30-day hospital reutilization between the two groups was compared within predefined subgroup patient populations: polypharmacy, high-risk medication use, and patients with a principal discharge diagnosis meeting the criteria set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 30-day risk standardized readmission measures.

A total of 600 patients were included in the study (300 patients in the meds-to-beds group and 300 patients in the control group). The 30-day hospital reutilization (emergency department visits and/or hospital readmissions) related to the index visit was lower in the meds-to-beds group, but the difference was not statistically significant between the two groups (8.0% in the meds-to-beds group versus 10.0% in the control group; odds ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-1.37). There was no significant difference in the 30-day hospital reutilization related to the index visit between the control and meds-to-beds groups within the three subgroups analyzed.

There was no difference in 30-day hospital reutilization related to the index visit with the implementation of meds-to-beds service in the absence of other transitions-of-care interventions.