News and briefs: Cardiologists post lower readmission rates than hospitalists

Congestive heart failure (CHF) patients are less likely to be readmitted to the hospital when treated by cardiologists instead of hospitalists, according to a press release from the Minneapolis Heart Institute. According to the press release, CHF is the most common cause for readmission among patients over 65 years of age. Researchers studied CHF patients admitted to the institute between 2009 and 2011. Of those patients, 65% were treated by a hospitalist; 35% by a cardiologist. About 16% of the patients treated by a cardiologist were readmitted within 30 days, for those treated by a hospitalist, readmission was around 27%. The study also found cardiologists treated more severely ill patients.

MHI says most research focuses on what happens when a patient leaves the hospital that leads to readmission; the organization wanted to determine if any factors during the in-patient experience affect readmission rates. MHI calls for several changes to reduce readmission rates. 

“Although these results reveal that specialists have a positive impact on readmission rates, an overhaul to an entire healthcare system’s treatment of HF patients—from admission to post-discharge follow-up—is required to truly impact preventable readmissions,” says Casey M. Lawler, MD, a cardiologist at MHI.