Impact of a Social Work Care Coordination Intervention on Hospital Readmission: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

This study assessed how a social work-led care coordination intervention would reduce the within-30-day hospital readmission rate among moderate- and high-risk patients age 50 years or older. Authors ran a randomized controlled trial to determine whether there was a significant difference in within-30-day readmission rates between patients receiving usual care post-discharge and those receiving intervention from an MSW intern (one home visit and one to two phone calls). Results were obtained using a sample of hospitalized patients with a LACE index score of 7 or higher (N = 89). Analysis suggests that the intervention improved the likelihood of not being readmitted by some 22 percent (RR = 1.222; 95% CI = 1.063-1.405). The risk improvement with the intervention was highly statistically significant (p = .003). This study shows that a time-efficient care coordination intervention by MSW interns may decrease hospital readmission rates. Replications of this study in other communities, with more diverse populations, and with larger numbers of patients will indicate whether results are generalizable.