This simple tool predicts readmission risk for heart attack patients

A new risk model provides a simple and inexpensive way to determine whether acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients are at high risk for hospital readmission.

The risk model, which is detailed in a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, features seven variables that can be scored in as little as five minutes during a patient's first day of hospital admission. With a simple calculation at the bedside or in an electronic health record, physicians can determine whether a heart attack patient is at high risk for readmission and can then order interventions to help the patient avoid a return to the hospital after discharge.

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