Unplanned hospital readmissions following elective hip and knee replacements fell 20% and 23%, respectively, between 2009 and 2013 among adults aged 50-84 enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans provided by a large U.S. insurance carrier, according to a new study by the AARP Public Policy Institute. The decreases were largest for adults aged 65 and older, although hip and knee replacements were not added to the Medicare Hospital Readmission Reduction Program until the end of 2014. Among adults aged 65 and older, device complications were the leading cause of hospital readmission after hip replacement and the second leading cause of readmission after knee replacement in 2013, the study found. The number of hip replacements among plan members aged 50-84 increased 73% between 2009 and 2013, while the number of knee replacements increased 46%.

Related News Articles

Headline
The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Philips last month due to quality violations found at three of its medical device facilities earlier…
Blog
Public
Cross-industry insights and new technology are helping HCA Healthcare reduce risk, improve outcomes and lead the future of high-reliability careFor Randy Fagin…
Headline
The Food and Drug Administration has identified a Class I recall of Abiomed Automated Impella Controllers due to the potential for serious injury or death. The…
Headline
The AHA’s social media toolkit for spreading awareness of the flu focuses on the beginning of fall and the availability of the flu vaccine for at-risk,…
Headline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will update its immunization schedules for the COVID-19 and chickenpox vaccines to adopt recent recommendations…
Headline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sept. 24 released its annual report on national sexually transmitted disease data, reporting a 9% decline in STD…