Study: Longer hospital stays reduce readmissions, lower mortality rates

Adding one extra day to a hospital stay can help reduce mortality and readmission rates for some patients, as well as costs, according to a study published by researchers from the Columbia Business School.

Based on CMS records of 6.6 million patients from 2008 to 2011, the study found that adding an extra day to a stay can reduce the mortality risk by 22% for patients treated for pneumonia and 7% for heart attack patients. An extra day can also decrease the readmission rate for severe heart failure patients by 7%.

Source: Columbia Business School