Readmission data for outcomes measurement: identifying and strengthening the empirical base.

Hospital readmission is an important indicator of patient care outcomes and is widely used in evaluating the quality of health care provided. However, few definitions of the term "readmission" are listed in the literature, and exact measurement parameters regarding readmission are seldom stated. The term readmission is indiscriminately used and defined, making accurate comparisons of results difficult across studies if not impossible.