Nearly 20% of Medicare patients admitted to a hospital after an acute myocardial infarction will be readmitted within 30 days, according to historical data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The all-cause, 30-day readmission rate for acute MI (19.9%) is similar to those for patients originally admitted for heart failure (24.5%) and pneumonia (18.2%).
The figures, based on 3 years of data, were posted to Medicare's Hospital Compare Web site. The readmission rates were produced with statistical models that rely on Medicare claims and enrollment information, according to the CMS.
The Web site (www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
The Hospital Compare readmissions data include hospital by hospital information, as well as national figures. They exclude planned hospital treatments such as readmission for a scheduled heart bypass or coronary angioplasty.