Economic and Social Factors That Predict Readmission for Mental Health and Drug Abuse Patients

According to the United Nations, curtailing the rise of mental illness and drug abuse has been an important goal for sustainable development of member states. In the United States, reducing readmission rates for mental health and drug abuse patients is critical, given the rising health care costs and a strained health care system. This study aims to examine economic and social factors that predict readmission likelihood for mental health and drug abuse patients in the state of New York. Patient admission data of 25,846 mental health patients and 32,702 drug abuse patients with multiple visits in New York hospitals in 2015 were examined. Findings show that economic factors like income level and payment type impact readmission rates differently: The poorest patients were less likely to get readmitted while patients with higher incomes were likely to experience drug relapse. Regarding social factors, mental health patients who lived in neighborhoods with high social capital were less likely to be readmitted, but drug abuse patients in similar areas were more likely to be readmitted. The findings show that policy-makers and hospital administrators need to approach readmission rates differently for each group of patients.