Predicting 30-Day Readmission Rate in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: Performance of LACE Index

AbstractBackground and AimsReadmission within 30 days in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients increases treatment costs and serves as a quality indicator. The LACE (Length of stay, Acuity of admission, Charlson comorbidity index, Emergency Department visits in past 6 months) index is used to predict the risk of unplanned readmission within 30 days. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of using the LACE index in IBD.MethodsCalculation of LACE index was done prospectively for IBD patients admitted to a single tertiary care center. Patient, disease, and treatment characteristics, as well as index hospitalization characteristics including indication for admission and disease activity measures were retrospectively recorded. Descriptive statistics and univariable exact logistic regression analyses were performed.ResultsIn total, 64 IBD patients were admitted during the study period. The 30-day readmission rate of IBD patients was 19% and overall median LACE index was 6, with IQR 6–7. LACE index categorized 16% of IBD patients in low-risk group, 82% in moderate risk group, and 2% in high-risk group. LACE index did not predict 30-day readmission (OR 1.35, CI: 0.88–2.18, P = 0.19). There was no significant difference in 30-day readmission rates with inpatient antibiotic or narcotic use, admission C-reactive protein (CRP), anemia, IBD duration, maintenance therapy, or prior IBD operation. For every 1 day increase in length of stay (LOS), patients were 8% more likely (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.00–1.16) to be readmitted within 30 days (P = .05).ConclusionsLACE index does not accurately identify 30-day readmission risk in the IBD population. As increased LOS is associated with higher risk, there may be benefit for targeted strategic resource allocation via specialized services.