Timing of Initial Well-Child Visit and Readmissions of Newborns

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Recommendations for the timing of the first well-child visit (WCV) after discharge from a well-baby nursery (WBN) suggest that the visit occur within 48 hours of discharge for those with a WBN length of stay of #48 hours and within 3 to 5 days for those with a WBN length of stay of .48 hours. The purpose of these early visits is to detect conditions that may cause readmission in the first weeks after birth, but the effectiveness of early visits to accomplish this has not been shown. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the frequency of early visits and (2) to compare readmission rates for those who had an early visit compared with those who did not.

Hospital Admission and Emergency Department Utilization in an Infant Medicaid Population

“…3,16 Interventions to reduce rehospitalizations have concentrated on breastfeeding and hyperbilirubinemia, which drive readmissions soon after birth. 21,22 Our study results, in addition to the findings of Ray and Lorch,5 highlight the importance of considering the length of follow-up period in designing programs to prevent hospital admission and show that preventing hospitalization and ED utilization up to 6 months will likely require a different focus compared with the first month of life.…”

Pediatric Inpatient Readmissions in an Accountable Care Organization

“…32 A study of timely initial well-child visits was associated with lower readmission rate (15% lower) for newborns. 33 Discharging patients without a current primary care provider had a higher readmission rate (OR 1.59) compared with those with a current primary care provider. 34 The results suggest that the opportunity to improve care and reduce cost requires a focus on patients, which an ACO can provide through consistent primary care, rather than a focus on hospital discharges.…”

Timely and Appropriate Healthcare Access for Newborns: A Neighborhood‐Based, Improvement Science Approach

“…Literature Review: Healthcare Access for Newborns from Low-Income Families. Timely access to primary care for newborns is important to avoid medical complications (Shakib, Buchi, Smith, Korgenski, & Young, 2015). Despite legislation mandating minimum hospital stays for mothers and their newborns, prior research suggests that early discharge after delivery remains common, even among those with medical and social risk factors (Goyal, Fager, & Lorch, 2011;Tomashek et al, 2006).…”