rehospitalize

verb

re·​hos·​pi·​tal·​ize (ˌ)rē-ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tə-ˌlīz How to pronounce rehospitalize (audio)
rehospitalized; rehospitalizing

transitive verb

: to readmit (someone) to a hospital as a patient : to hospitalize (someone) again
The patient was discharged but then rehospitalized one month later.
rehospitalization noun
plural rehospitalizations
patients at risk of rehospitalization
Medicare currently pays for all rehospitalizations, except those in which patients are rehospitalized within 24 hours after discharge for the same condition for which they had initially been hospitalized. Stephen F. Jencks

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rehospitalize was in 1918

Dictionary Entries Near rehospitalize

Cite this Entry

“Rehospitalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rehospitalize. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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