Why is this measure important?

30-Day Readmission occurs when patients who have had a recent hospital stay need to go back into a hospital again within 30 days of their discharge. Patients should be discharged with a good plan to continue medical care and recover at home.  

While some patients have higher risks than others, and some patients are readmitted to hospitals within 30 days for reasons unrelated to their first problem, some of these readmissions may be preventable. A lower rate may indicate that a hospital provides a higher level of patient care.

What does this measure show?

This measure shows the percentage of patients who were discharged from the hospital and were readmitted to any hospital for any unplanned reason within 30 days after discharge.  

In this case, a lower number is better.