AHRQ says that more patients are leaving against medical advice
Patient Safety Monitor Insider
August 26, 2009
An August report from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) says that between 1997 and 2007, the number of patients who left the hospital against medical advice rose 39%. Although the 368,000 people who did leave against medical advice represent only 1.2% of all hospital patients, the readmission rate for these patients is significantly higher than for the rest of the patient population.
