Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Jill Kaspszak

Abstract

Hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge result in significant multimillion-€dollar penalties to thousands of Medicare-€eligible hospitals throughout the United States and are indicators of suboptimal patient healthcare leading to less than ideal health outcomes for previously hospitalized patients. The purpose of this correlation study was to examine the relationship between medication reconciliation, nursing workforce competency, timely and effective care, and Medicare-€eligible hospital 30-€day readmission rates. The sample of 269 hospitals came from the population of Medicare-€eligible hospitals throughout the United States. Complexity theory and the general model of readmission were theoretical frameworks grounding this study. Secondary data were from publicly available governmental databases. The reporting of the F statistic resulted in rejection of the null hypothesis in this study, based on evidence of the existence of a significant correlation between the variables. Findings shows a statistically significant relationship between nursing workforce competency, timely and effective care, and Medicare-€eligible hospital 30-€day readmission rates. Medication reconciliation, as measured in this study, was not a significant predictor of 30-€day readmission rates. Implications of this study for positive social change include an understanding of factors related to hospital 30-€day readmission rates to help leaders take action to enhance patient care, reduce inpatient care expenses, and decrease Medicare-€imposed hospital penalties.

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