Impact of OP35 events on 30-day readmissions: Implications for symptom management and avoidable hospital utilization.
Year: 2026
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: 726 Background: Reducing avoidable acute care utilization (ACU) is central to value-based oncology care. Symptom burden drives emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, with 23–31% of individuals experiencing acute care encounters within 30 days of receiving anti-neoplastic therapy ; 39% have more than two ACU encounters. OP35 is a CMS outpatient quality measure capturing ED and unplanned admissions for 10 preventable, symptom-driven toxicities (e.g., nausea, pain, infection). 1,2 These events signal opportunities for earlier intervention and improved care coordination. This analysis examined the relationship between OP35 events and 30-day readmissions to quantify the impact of unmanaged symptoms on avoidable hospitalization. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients receiving anti-neoplastic therapy through an EPIC Beacon treatment plan across Jefferson Health System during calendar year 2025. Patients were stratified by presence or absence of an OP35 event and by 30-day readmission following an index hospitalization. Data were sourced from Vizient, a healthcare performance improvement analytics and benchmarking tool, for oncology-indexed admissions. Comparative analyses assessed readmission rates and calculated odds ratios (OR) and relative risk (RR). Results: From January 2025 through December 2026, there were 1,333 outpatient antineoplastic therapy–related ACU events across 181 unique patients. Of these ACU events, 277 were followed by an OP35 event within 30 days, 408 resulted in a readmission after the index admission, and 148 were associated with both an OP35 event within 30 days and a subsequent readmission after the index admission. Patients with an OP35 event had higher 30 day readmission rates than those without (50.5% vs. 25.01%). Patients with an OP35 event were twice as likely to be readmitted (RR 2.01, 95% CI 1.72–2.34 p-value < .0001) and had three times the odds of readmission compared to patients without an OP35 event (OR 3.04, 95% CI 2.33–3.97 p-value < .0001). Conclusions: OP35 events are associated with increased 30 day readmission risk, reinforcing the clinical and operational importance of proactive symptom management. Earlier identification and intervention for anti-neoplastic therapy -related toxicities may reduce preventable hospitalizations. Health systems can leverage OP35 as a leading indicator to stratify high-risk patients, strengthen outpatient symptom management pathways, and improve outcomes while reducing avoidable ACU.
Source: JCO Oncology Practice
Language: English
Topic: Cancer survivorship and care
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7221624403
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