30-Day Readmission Among Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract This study retrospectively assessed rates and risk factors for all-cause hospital readmission among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) aged ≥65 years. Associations between 30-day readmission and patients' demographic, insurance, index hospital, and clinical characteristics; patient complexities specific to the elderly; and health care utilization were examined using multivariable logistic regressions. Of 202,496 elderly Medicare beneficiaries, 52% were female, 76% were white, the mean age was 75.8 years, and 13.2% had all-cause 30-day readmissions. Elderly patients with cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.01–1.12), falls and falls risk (aOR=1.15, 95% CI=1.08–1.22), polypharmacy (aOR=1.20, 95% CI=1.14–1.27), and urinary incontinence (aOR=1.08, 95% CI=1.01–1.15) were at higher risk for all-cause 30-day readmission than their counterparts without these complexities. As elderly-specific complexities are associated with ...