Study: Substance Abuse, Homelessness Linked to Readmissions

A large number of readmissions are caused by substance abuse, mental illness, and homelessness, according to a recent study published in JAMA Surgery.

CMS and other studies often target chronic conditions as causes of 30-day readmissions. The JAMA Surgery study of 2,100 general surgery discharges over one year identified 173 unplanned readmissions within 30 days, of which 29 (or 16.8% of all studied discharges) were patients who are injection drug users with soft tissue infections at new sites. Disposition support issues were the cause of readmissions in 25 patients, 23 with non-detectible infections during index admission, and 16 with sequelae of the original injury or condition. Nearly 10% of patients had a complication of care that was likely preventable during admission and 2% had deteriorating conditions, according to the study.

JAMA Surgery stated that many readmissions may be unavoidable. Although medical comorbidities often contribute to readmissions, many of the readmissions examined in the study were not due to inadequate care but rather due to substance abuse (31%), mental health conditions, low socioeconomic status, or homelessness. Approximately 9% of the readmissions were due to complications of care.