Association of Shared Care Networks with Heart Failure Excessive Hospital Readmissions

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of shared care networks on heart failure readmission rates. Background: Higher-than-expected heart failure (HF) readmissions affect half of US hospitals every year. The Hospital Reduction Readmission Program (HRRP) has reduced risk-adjusted readmissions, but it has also produced unintended consequences. Shared care models have been advocated for HF care, but the association of shared care networks with HF readmissions has never been investigated. Methods: We curated publicly available data on hospital discharges and HF excessive readmission ratios (ERRs) from hospitals in California between 2012 and 2017. Shared Care Areas (SCAs) were delineated as data-driven units of care coordination emerging from discharge networks. The localization index (LI), the proportion of patients who reside in the same SCA in which they are admitted, were calculated by year. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to evaluate the association between the LI and the ERR of hospitals controlling for race/ethnicity and socioeconomics factors. Results: A total of 300 hospitals in California in a 6-yr period were included. The HF excessive readmission ratio (ERR) was negatively associated with the localization index (beta: -0.0474; 95% CI: -0.082 to -0.013). The percentage of Black residents within the SCAs was the only statistically significant covariate (beta: 0.4128; 95% CI: 0.302 to 0.524). Conclusions: Higher-than-expected HF readmissions were associated with shared care networks. Control mechanisms such as the HRRP may need to characterize and reward shared care to guide hospitals towards a more organized HF care system.