THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON HOSPITAL READMISSIONS

Abstract

The current fragmented delivery of health care has contributed to unplanned hospital readmissions as a leading problem in the United States. Reducing readmissions to urban teaching hospitals is difficult. Many patients living in urban communities face social, economic, language, and transportation barriers to maintaining their health. Both the patient and the medical center experience the burden of readmission and are challenged with addressing SDoH and social injustices at several levels. Medicare views hospital readmissions as a marker representing lower quality of health care delivery to penalize hospitals providing care to the poor. This thesis addresses multiple social and economic factors associated with hospital readmissions, explores the interrelated components of readmissions at the personal and hospital system level, and delves into the interactions of bioethical principles associated with urban living. Hospital readmissions remain a serious issue nationwide and in order to reduce the rates of re-hospitalization the social and economic inequalities contributing to hospital readmissions are significant and must be addressed.