Classifying reasons for hospital readmissions.

Readmissions are a key measurement tool in today's outcomes-focused health care environment. Monitoring the volume of readmissions is a straightforward process in light of the database resources available to care providers. Examining and reporting on the actual reasons for readmissions provides opportunities for improvement specific to the needs of a patient population. The readmission coding tool used at the Medical University of South Carolina demonstrates both the ability to assess the causes for patients returning to our institution within thirty days of discharge and the opportunity to correct problems in specific service areas with regard to discharge planning.