Pilot uses ‘At Risk for Medical Readmission’ tool to reduce readmissions after spine surgery

The Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative has identified an opportunity to reduce hospital readmissions: partnering with referring primary care physicians.

MSSIC registry data showed that the reason for a number of hospital readmissions was the exacerbation of medical co-morbidities. Since these developments occurred shortly after spine surgery, partnering with primary care doctors after discharge is expected to reduce hospital readmissions and help avoid unnecessary, costly hospital visits.

To facilitate this partnership, MSSIC developed an “At Risk for Medical Readmission” tool as part of a pilot program. The tool helps surgeons identify which patients are at higher risk for readmission and encourages them to recommend that their patients see their primary care doctor within 10 days of discharge.

The goals of the ARMR pilot are to:

Improve collaboration with referring primary care doctors in the care of their spine patients.
Quickly detect and address any post-discharge medical complications.

The pilot launched in February 2019 with 15 surgeons implementing the new process in nine clinics and nine geographically diverse hospitals. MSSIC is collecting pilot data for these surgeons and assessing the effectiveness of the tool. Once the assessment is complete, we’ll provide you with the results.

For more information about the Michigan Spine Surgery Improvement Collaborative, go to mssic.org.

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