Background: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) started penalizing hospitals with “excess” 30-day readmissions, as determined by observed-to-expected ratio, for patients discharged after treatment for an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). An understanding of modifiable determinants of 30-day readmission will likely help in developing interventions to reduce preventable AECOPD readmissions. [...]

Background: Several studies attest the effectiveness of physician order set, also known as Power Plan (PP) in standardizing patient care and improving outcomes. In general, PP use is suboptimal. We hypothesized that PP use in patients admitted with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) assists in  standardization and appropriateness of inpatient management. Methods: We conducted a [...]