Women and Medicare patients are more likely to be readmitted to a hospital, according to a new study published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality, which also found that COPD and heart failure are among the top five disease states driving readmissions.

According to the study, the top five disease states driving risk adjusted readmission rates:

  1.  Heart failure (20%)
  2. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (18%)
  3. Renal failure (17%)
  4. Sepsis (17%)
  5. Pneumonia (12%)

The study also evaluated readmission rates from approximately 15 million inpatient, all-payer discharges across more than 600 diverse hospitals. Factors such as income, gender, age and payer status all showed a strong statistical significance in predicting readmissions within 30 days.

Specifically, it found that the odds for heart attack patients being readmitted were:

  • 17% higher for women than men.
  • 24% higher for Medicare patients versus those with commercial insurance.