States with the Highest and Lowest COPD Readmission Rates

*Updated June 2020

In 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began implementing a number of value-based purchasing programs aimed at improving healthcare quality and reducing costs. One of these programs, called the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), penalizes hospitals with excess readmission rates for patients with certain conditions like acute myocardial infarction (AMI), pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic condition that affects the lungs and creates breathing difficulties. This term encompasses a range of progressive lung diseases including asthma, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. The most common causes of COPD are tobacco smoking and second-hand smoke inhalation, though genetic factors also play a role in COPD development.

Below, we've compiled lists of the 10 states with the highest and lowest 30-day readmission rates for COPD.

10 States with the highest COPD readmission rates

Fig 1 Average COPD readmission rate and total number of COPD cases are aggregated using individual hospital data available on Definitive Healthcare's Hospitals & IDNs database. Data is sourced from the CMS Quality Metrics Update from April 2020, the most recent data available. The next CMS Quality Metrics Update is scheduled to be released in July 2020. Accessed June 2020.

Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey report the highest COPD readmission rates of all 50 states. All three states include major metropolitan areas, potentially indicating regional air quality as a factor in increased COPD readmission rates.

Boston and New York City are also home to some of the nation's top hospitals. It's likely that these top facilities would attract greater volumes of COPD patients than other hospitals, and that some of these patients would present with more complex cases of COPD.

Patients with complex chronic conditions like COPD are more likely to experience complications that might require hospitalization. Because of this, hospitals treating greater volumes of complex patients would understandably report higher readmission rates—even if those facilities deliver the best possible care. 

10 States with the lowest COPD readmission rates

Fig 2 Average COPD readmission rate and total number of COPD cases are aggregated using individual hospital data available on Definitive Healthcare's Hospitals & IDNs database. Data is sourced from the CMS Quality Metrics Update from April 2020, the most recent data available. The next CMS Quality Metrics Update is scheduled to be released in July 2020. Accessed June 2020.

Utah, Idaho, and South Dakota have the lowest reported 30-day readmission rates for COPD of all 50 states. These states have relatively small populations and are not near major metropolitan areas. With fewer people and better air quality, patients could face lower odds of 30-day readmission to a care facility.

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