Mumtaz K, et al. - Given that early readmission in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis creates an enormous burden on health care use, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to identify predictors of readmissions using the 2013 and 2014 Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD). For this investigation, they included patients with a diagnosis of cirrhosis and at least one characteristic of decompensation. Among 123,011 included patients, the 30-day readmission rate was 27%; 79.6% of subjects were readmitted due to liver-related diagnoses. Thirty-day readmission was independently predicted by age <65 years, Medicare or Medicaid insurance, nonalcoholic etiology of cirrhosis, ≥3 Elixhauser score, presence of hepatic encephalopathy, ascites, variceal bleeding, hepatocellular carcinoma, paracentesis, or hemodialysis, and discharge against medical advice. Investigators found that one-third of decompensated cirrhosis patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. They suggested that the use of a simple risk scoring model with high generalizability, based on demographics, clinical features, and interventions, can improve the prediction of readmission for 30 days in patients at high risk. The Mumtaz readmission risk score emphasized the necessity of focused interventions to lower readmission rates in these patients.