Readmission and mortality outcomes with subsequent follow-up hemoglobin checks in general medical patients with hospital-acquired anemia

INTRODUCTION: Hospital-acquired anemia is associated with increased readmissions and 30-day mortality. We evaluated whether anemia severity is associated with readmission and mortality 1-year post-hospitalization, and whether a recheck of hemoglobin and/or hematocrit level within 30 days of discharge is associated with reduced readmission and mortality rates. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 1734 patients at the Mayo Clinic Hospital Inpatient services from 2020 to 2023. The association between readmission and death within 1 year, and hemoglobin recheck within 30 days, or anemic category, was assessed using multivariable Cox regression while controlling for patient characteristics. RESULTS: = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Patients with more severe hospital-acquired anemia did not have increased readmission and mortality during 1-year post-hospitalization. Anemia rechecking was associated with increased mortality but likely confounded by underlying co-morbidities and other clinical factors. Future studies could compare readmission and mortality in different discharge destinations.