Objective: One quarter of patients face readmission to the hospital within 30 days of discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). In the face of the new financial and public-reporting incentives, stronger evidence to inform SNF efforts to reduce hospital readmission is needed.

Design/Methodology: We conducted a systematic review to identify interventions utilized by facilities to reduce hospital readmission from SNFs. The PRISMA reporting guideline was utilized to optimize transparency and minimize the risk of bias. Ten databases were used to select peer-reviewed articles published between 1/01/2010 to 12/31/2022.

Results: A total of 2579 articles were identified for title and abstract search. Twenty studies met the eligibility criteria and comprised the study sample. With the exception of two studies, all were conducted in the USA. The sample size of the studies ranged from 49 to 3951 patients. Five studies focused on heart failure specific populations whereas the remainder comprised general SNF patients. Interventions primarily consisted of collaborative care models, telemedicine, medication reconciliation, educational in-services, transitions of care, and adaptations of quality improvement tools. Overall 15 out of 20 studies (75%) observed a statistically significant reduction in hospital readmission rates following the intervention. None of the studies focused on pharmacy and medical reconciliation (n=5) produced a significant reduction in hospital readmission rates.

Discussion: Interventions to reduce the 30-day hospital readmission rates hold promise for wide-scale implementation. In particular, interventions focused on specific patient populations, collaborative interventions with hospital care teams, and quality care models appear to be effective.