Association between skilled nursing facility use and postop readmission rates

Editor's Note

Use of postacute care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for total hip replacement (THR) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients was not associated with changes in readmission rates, in this study.

Of 176,994 CABG patients at 804 hospitals and 233,955 THR patients at 1,220 hospitals, SNF use increased after CABG (16.4% to19%) and THR (40.8% to 45.5%) from 2008 to 2013.

Readmission rates during this same time decreased for CABG (14.7% to 12.7%) but did not change for THR (4.9% to 4.8%).

After adjustments, there was no statistically significant association between change in SNF use and changes in readmission rates for either procedure.