Table 1.
Characteristics of the Sample by Readmission Status
| Characteristics | Total Number of Hospital Admissions N = 93,606 (%) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Readmitted N = 76,660 (82%) | Readmitted N = 16,946 (18%) | ||
| Age, years | |||
| 18–39 | 3,678 (5) | 1,328 (8) | <.001 |
| 40–54 | 9,155 (12) | 2,286 (13) | |
| 55–64 | 13,800 (18) | 3,367 (20) | |
| 65–74 | 19,347 (25) | 4,163 (25) | |
| 75–80 | 18,436 (24) | 3,515 (21) | |
| >80 | 12,244 (16) | 2,287 (14) | |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 32,775 (43) | 7,456 (44) | <.001 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| Asian | 1,552 (2) | 379 (2) | <.001 |
| Black | 5,335 (7) | 1,575 (9) | |
| Hispanic | 4,025 (5) | 1,023 (6) | |
| White | 61,881 (81) | 13,260 (78) | |
| Other/unknown | 3,867 (5) | 709 (4) | |
| Marital status | |||
| Currently single | 38,036 (50) | 9,040 (53) | <.001 |
| Married or domestic partner | 38,624 (50) | 7,906 (47) | |
| Insurance/payor category | |||
| Medicare | 48,362 (63) | 10,792 (64) | <.001 |
| Medicaid | 4,246 (6) | 1,283 (8) | |
| Commercial | 15,647 (20) | 2,978 (18) | |
| Most frequent Elixhauser comorbidities | |||
| Fluid and electrolytes | 30,582 (40) | 11,830 (70) | <.001 |
| Cardiac arrhythmias | 45,557 (59) | 12,811 (76) | |
| Hypertension | 54,849 (72) | 13,389 (79) | |
| Elixhauser comorbidities with largest differences | |||
| Congestive heart failure | 31,716 (41) | 9,130 (54) | <.001 |
| Cardiac arrhythmias | 45,557 (59) | 12,811 (76) | |
| Hypertension | 54,849 (72) | 13,389 (79) | |
| Discharge dispositions | |||
| Home | 12,158 (16) | 1,853 (11) | <.001 |
| Home care | 10,885 (14) | 2,992 (18) | |
| Post‐acute care facilities | 7,488 (10) | 2,141 (13) | |
| Hospital transfer | 2 (0) | 2 (0) | |
| Missing | 46,117 (60) | 9,958 (59) | |
| Use of agent | |||
| Antithrombotic | 3,914 (5) | 1,148 (7) | <.001 |
| Chemotherapeutic | 92 (0) | 75 (0) | |
| Hypoglycemics | 2,807 (4) | 970 (6) | |
| Insulins | 1,583 (2) | 632 (4) | |
| Narcotic opioids | 4,997 (7) | 1,744 (10) | |
| Abnormal laboratory value | |||
| LDL | 3,460 (5) | 958 (6) | .0014 |
| HDL | 12,871 (17) | 3,505 (21) | |
| LDH | 6,733 (9) | 3,222 (19) | |
| B‐type natriuretic | 16,905 (22) | 6,082 (36) | <.001 |
| A1c | 3,197 (4) | 1,030 (6) | |
| Troponin† | 17,441 (23) | 5,697 (34) | |
| Medication count | |||
| 1–5 | 1,798 (2) | 355 (2) | <.001 |
| 6–10 | 3,758 (5) | 429 (3) | |
| 11–20 | 19,098 (25) | 3,580 (21) | |
| >20 | 52,006 (68) | 12,582 (74) | |
| Length of stay | |||
| 0–3 | 30,123 (39) | 5,280 (31) | <.001 |
| 4–5 | 15,880 (21) | 3,708 (22) | |
| 6+ | 30,657 (40) | 7,958 (50) | |
| Number of admissions in the past year | |||
| 0 | 48,171 (63) | 250 (1) | <.001 |
| 1 | 5,502 (7) | 205 (1) | |
| 2–3 | 17,386 (23) | 10,328 (61) | |
| 4+ | 5,601 (7) | 6,163 (36) | |
†Troponin refers to both the Troponin T and Troponin I assays depending on admitting hospital laboratory use.
HDL, high‐density lipoprotein; HgbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; LDL, low‐density lipoprotein.