The importance of having good quality indicators for care of patients with COPD: a look at hospital readmission rates

Background: Readmission after hospitalization for acute COPD exacerbation (AE-COPD) has been proposed as a healthcare quality indicator (QI) in Israel. We studied patients hospitalized for AE-COPD, towards determining whether AE-COPD readmission is an appropriate national QI in order to improve COPD patient care. Methods: Data were retrieved for all Clalit Health Service (CHS) members age 40–90 years hospitalized in CHS hospitals during 2016 with a diagnosis of acute COPD exacerbation. Information retrieved included demographics, medical history, Charleson comorbidity score, readmissions within 90 days, chronic medication use and family physician and pulmonologist visits. Patients readmitted within 90 days were compared to those who were not readmitted. Patients were also analyzed according to whether they were hospitalized during the year before the index hospitalization. Results: In 2016 there were 70,601 members with a recorded diagnosis of COPD in CHS. Of these, 1,203 patients (1.7%) were hospitalized in a CHS hospital with a diagnosis of acute COPD exacerbation during 2016. Average age was 70.6 years, 63% were men. 78% were active smokers. 61% of the patients were readmitted to internal medicine wards within 90 days of the index hospitalization. Patients who were readmitted were more likely to have been hospitalized during the year before the index hospitalization (Odds ratio (OR) 2.5, Confidence Interval ((CI)(1.85, 3.38)) and had a higher Charlson comorbidity score (OR 1.07 (CI 1.01, 1.11)). Healthcare utilization by patients who were readmitted, both before and after admission, was generally greater. One yr mortality was 15.1% and 9.2% in those readmitted and not readmitted, respectively (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Readmitted COPD patients appear to be the sickest group of COPD patients with advanced disease and poor prognosis, and it may not be possible to prevent readmissions. This questions the utility of COPD readmissions as a healthcare quality indicator.