Characterization of unplanned 30-day medical oncology readmissions after discharge at an academic medical center with a comprehensive cancer center.

269 Background: Hospital readmission rate is increasingly suggested as a quality care metric. Currently there are no standard criteria for an avoidable readmission in oncology. Although patients with cancer have been identified as being at increased risk of readmission, there has been little to examine the reasons for the oncology patient readmission. The aim was to examine the profiles of patients with an unplanned readmission within 30 days after discharge by an oncology provider and to measure the unplanned 30-day readmission rate.

METHODS: A retrospective review of oncology provider discharge encounters resulting in a 30-day unplanned readmission during the 2012 calendar year at a tertiary hospital with a comprehensive cancer center was conducted. Planned readmissions for chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, dialysis, and surgical procedures, as well as readmissions for rehabilitation, hospice, and psychiatry were excluded. Medical oncologists analyzed medical records for the primary reason of readmission and if the readmission was possibly preventable.

RESULTS: Of the 2,944 admissions, a final cohort of 441 unplanned readmissions from 321 unique patients for an unplanned 30-day readmission rate of 14.9% was observed. The average age at admission was 59 (SD 15.9). The cohort was mostly male (56.9%) and White/Caucasian (84.4%). Gastrointestinal (24.0%), lymphoma (18.6%), and leukemia (17.5%) were the most common cancer types. Of those with solid tumors types (n = 225), approximately 70% had metastatic disease. The median time to readmission was 10 days and 10.7% died within 30 days of readmission. Oncology reviewers most commonly assessed that readmission was primarily due to treatment-related effects (46.7%) and the progression of disease (42.2%). Approximately 20% of 30-day readmissions were determined to be possibly preventable, representing 3% of all admissions for the year.

CONCLUSIONS: Oncology patients readmitted within 30-days frequently present with complicated, advanced disease. A review by medical oncologists suggests there is margin for intervention to reduce 30-day unplanned admissions.