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Hospital readmission among elderly patients

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Abstract

This study investigates the incidence and determinants of hospital readmissions among elderly patients in Norway. The analyses are based on registered data on inpatient admissions to public hospitals from 1999 to 2006. During this period, mean length of stay in hospital decreased, while readmission rates increased. Probit and instrumental variable regression models are applied for the analyses. The results indicate that longer length of stay in the hospital is associated with lower probability of readmission. A patient’s age, comorbidities, and complexity of the treatment procedure are positively associated with readmissions, while higher number of diagnostic procedures negatively affects hospital readmission. Finally, patients discharged to institutions are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital.

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Notes

  1. All prices were converted to 2010 prices using consumer price index by Statistics Norway. Costs were calculated by multiplying the total number of DRG weights for readmitted patients by the payment rate per DRG (DRG weight reflects the average resources used for treatment of patients).

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Daniel Gordon, Tor Helge Holmås, Oddvar Kaarbøe, Carlota Quintal and Kjell G. Salvanes for valuable comments. Thanks to seminar participants at University of Bergen, Norway and participants in CEISUC workshop at University of Coimbra, Portugal for comments. I would like to thank two anonymous referees for their constructive comments and suggestions, which have improved the paper. This research was supported by Western Norway Regional Health Authority and in part by SNF—Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration. Financial support from these institutions and a travel grant from Norges Bank are gratefully acknowledged. Opinions in the paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding institutions.

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  1. Department of Economics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Afsaneh Bjorvatn

  2. Samarbeidsorganet, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

    Afsaneh Bjorvatn

  3. SNF, Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration, Breiviksveien 40, 5045, Bergen, Norway

    Afsaneh Bjorvatn

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Bjorvatn, A. Hospital readmission among elderly patients. Eur J Health Econ 14, 809–820 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-012-0426-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-012-0426-3

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