Impact of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status on readmission rates after total joints

Editor's Note

The addition of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status to the risk-adjusted algorithm for readmissions after total hips and knees used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services led to a relative-performance change in readmission rates of <3% of 1,194 hospitals in this study.

Policy makers and payers should consider these findings when deciding whether to include race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in total joint readmission rates used for hospital accountability, payment, and public reporting, the authors note.

Background: Readmission rates following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are increasingly used to measure hospital performance. Readmission rates that are not adjusted for race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status, patient risk factors beyond a hospital's control, may not accurately reflect a hospital's performance.