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LACE Score for Predicting Death or Readmission Following Hospital Discharge

Purpose: To identify a patient being discharged into the community for the risk of death or unplanned readmission within the next 30 days.

Description

van Walraven et al developed the LACE score to evaluate patients being discharged into the community. The score can help to identify a patient who may have serious problems after discharge. The authors are from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, and the University of Calgary.


Outcomes of concern within 30 days of hospital discharge:

(1) death

(2) unplanned readmission

 

Parameters:

(1) L = length of hospital stay in days

(2) A = acute or emergent admission

(3) C = Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score

(4) E = ED visits in past 6 months

 

Parameter

Finding

Points

length of stay

less than 1 day (observation)

0

 

1 day

1

 

2 days

2

 

3 days

3

 

4 to 6 days

4

 

7 to 13 days

5

 

14 or more days

7

acute admission

no

0

 

yes

3

comorbidity

CCI 0

0

 

CCI 1

1

 

CCI 2

2

 

CCI 3

3

 

CCI 4 or more

5

ED visits in past 6 months

0

0

 

1

1

 

2

2

 

3

3

 

4 or more

4

 

total LACE score =

= SUM(points for all 4 parameters)

 

Interpretation:

• minimum score: 0

• maximum score: 19

• The higher the score the more likely that the patient will die or be readmitted to the hospital.

 

LACE Score

Probability of a Problem

0

0 to 2%

5

5%

9

10%

13

20%

16

30%

18

40%

 


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Objective

ICD-10