Medicare's 3-Day Rule: Time for a Rethink.
Journal Article
A pilot study was undertaken to examine the impact of Medicare's 3-day rule on length of stay (LOS). One hundred consecutive patients who underwent primary total joint arthroplasty and were discharged to extended care facilities were retrospectively reviewed. Based on readiness for discharge criteria, delaying discharge until the third postoperative day increased LOS by 1.1 days (P<0.001). 60.6% of patients were ready for discharge by the second postoperative day, none of whom required re-admission within 30 days of discharge. There were no rehabilitation gains by staying an additional hospital day beyond readiness for discharge (P=0.092). This pilot study calls into question the value of Medicare's 3-day rule and demonstrates the feasibility and need for further research to address this seemingly antiquated policy.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Halawi, MJ; Vovos, TJ; Green, CL; Wellman, SS; Attarian, DE; Bolognesi, MP
Published Date
- September 2015
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 30 / 9
Start / End Page
- 1483 - 1484
PubMed ID
- 25922314
Pubmed Central ID
- 25922314
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1532-8406
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/j.arth.2015.03.038
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States