Safety of early discharge for Medicaid newborns

Context Neonates are being discharged from the hospital more rapidly, but t he risks associated with this practice, especially for low-income populatio ns, are unclear. Objective To determine the impact of decreasing postnatal length of stay on rehospitalization rates in the immediate postdischarge period for Medicaid neonates. Design and Setting Retrospective, population-based cohort study using Ohio Medicaid claims data linked to vital statistics files from July 1, 1991, to June 15, 1995. Participants A total of 102 678 full-term neonates born to mothers receivin g Medicaid for at least 30 days after birth. Main Outcome Measures Rehospitalization rates within 7 and 14 days of disch arge, postdischarge health care use, and regional variations in length of s tay and rehospitalization. Results The proportion of neonates who were discharged following a short st ay (less than 1 day after vaginal delivery, less than 2 days after cesarean birth) increased 185%, from 21 % to 59.8% (P<.001) and the mean (SD) lengt h of stay decreased 27%, from 2.2 (1.0) to 1.6 (0.9) days (P<.001), over th e course of the study, The proportion of neonates who received a primary ca re visit within 14 days of birth increased 117% (P = .001). Rehospitalizati on rates within 7 and 14 days of discharge decreased by 23 %, from 1.3 % to 1.0% (P = .01), and by 19%, from 2.1% to 1.7% (P = .03), respectively. Sho rt stay across the 6 regions of the state varied significantly over time (P <.001), Factors significantly associated with increased likelihood of rehos pitalization within both 7 and 14 days of discharge were white race, shorte r gestation, primiparity, earlier year of birth, lower 5-minute Apgar score , vaginal delivery, married mother, and region of the state. Conclusion Our data suggest that reductions in length of stay for full-term Medicaid newborns in Ohio have not resulted in an increase in rehospitaliz ation rates in the immediate postnatal period.