Safety of Back-Transfer to Local Hospitals During an Acute Care Hospitalization.
Leah F NelsonKarisa K HarlandDan M ShaneAzeemuddin AhmedNicholas M MohrPublished in: The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association (2017)
Back-transfer is a rare occurrence, and it is associated with longer LOS, higher hospitalization cost, higher mortality, more hospice transfers, and occasional bounce-backs to comprehensive medical centers. Future work should focus more on prospective indications for transfer, the role of end-of-life care, financial impact, and identifying patient populations for whom back-transfer is safest.