Stroke is frequently associated with readmission; moreover, readmission is regarded as an important
indicator of the quality of
stroke care. Thus, we investigated factors associated with 30-day readmission in patients with
stroke in South Korea. We used claims data from 2013 for
stroke (I60-I62) patients (n=44 729) in 94 hospitals and classified
unplanned readmission according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid guidelines. We used multilevel models to investigate patient (age, gender, type of insurance, admission via emergency room,
length of stay, type of
stroke, Elixhauser Index Score) and hospital (
stroke care quality grade, location of hospital, type of hospital, number of doctors and nurses per 100 beds) factors associated with readmission within 30 days of discharge. Among the 44 729 patients admitted due to
stroke, 9.2% (n=4124) were readmitted to hospital and 7.6% (n=3379) had
unplanned readmissions. Regarding patient characteristics, medical aid and longer
hospital stay were associated with 30-day readmission rate. Among hospital factors, patients admitted to a low-grade hospital or a non-capital area hospital were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days of discharge. We identified patient and hospital factors associated with 30-day readmission among
stroke patients. In particular, patients admitted to hospitals with higher quality
stroke care showed lower readmission rates.