Nijhawan AE, et al. - Social and behavioral variables are not included in the calculation of expected readmission rates by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which may lead to unfair punishment of systems caring for socially disadvantaged patients, including patients with HIV, via reduced reimbursements, so researchers conducted this randomized controlled trial of patient navigation with or without financial incentives in HIV-positive substance users recruited from the inpatient setting at 11 US hospitals. In a new multicenter cohort of HIV-positive substance users, an existing 30-day readmission prediction model that uses variables available in the electronic health record (EHR-only model), was externally validated by C-statistic and Hosmer–Lemeshow testing. Using multivariable regression and C-statistic with cross-validation, they evaluated sociobehavioral factors in a second model for improving the prediction model (EHR-plus model). Outcomes revealed a considerably enhanced performance of a 30-day readmission prediction model for hospitalized HIV-positive substance users with the integration of comprehensive social and behavioral variables, emphasizing the significance of social determinants in readmission risk.