Date of Award
1-1-2017
Embargo Period
1-1-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Health Administration
College
College of Health Professions
First Advisor
Annie Simpson
Second Advisor
Christina Daley
Third Advisor
Jonathan Ringo
Fourth Advisor
James S Zoller
Abstract
Nationally, COPD readmission rates are 22.6% while CHF readmission rates are 24.7%, both major contributors in making the need to reduce readmissions a national priority. Our aim was to assess whether a post-discharge call program staffed with experienced overseas nurses who used a call center management system to track calls and responses could reduce 30-day readmissions. We conducted a retrospective cohort review comparing discharges of 4,482 patients discharged with COPD and CHF diagnoses over six month periods before and after the program was established. The adjusted odds of readmission among patients in the post-discharge group was 24.3% lower than the patients seen in the time period before the post-discharge call period (AOR=0.785, 95% CI 0.68-0.90, p-value=0.0007). The crude rate of patients readmitted decreased from 26.9% to 22.5%, a reduction of 4.4% (p-value=0.0009) in a population that was similar at baseline. Based on these findings, a remotely operated program in which a post-discharge call is made to COPD and CHF patients both clinically and statistically reduces 30-day hospital readmissions.
Recommended Citation
Young, Stephen A., "Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Offshore Hospital Call Center on Reducing Readmissions in Patients with COPD or CHF" (2017). MUSC Theses and Dissertations. 913.
https://medica-musc.researchcommons.org/theses/913
Rights
All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.