Differences Between Early and Late Readmissions Among Patients

TO THE EDITOR:

Graham and colleagues (1) found that early readmissions were associated with markers of acute illness burden and late readmissions were associated with markers of chronic disease burden; they conclude that the time frame of 30 days after hospital discharge may not be homogeneous. As the authors note, the 30-day time frame used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for their readmission reduction program probably penalizes hospitals for factors beyond their control and a narrower window is warranted.

Graham and colleagues performed a sensitivity analysis at a 5-day cut point; when they found no significant difference, ...