UPDATE
Uninsured have higher in-hospital mortality rates
Uninsured patients who are treated in the hospital for heart attack, stroke or pneumonia are more likely to die from their conditions, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. Researchers studied the discharge data of more than 150,000 adults with those three conditions and compared in-hospital mortality, length of stay and costs per hospitalization for Medicaid, uninsured and privately insured patients.
Among the findings:
- Compared with privately insured patients, uninsured patients were 5 percent more likely to die in the hospital after a heart attack and 47 percent more likely to die in the hospital after a stroke.
- Compared with privately insured patients, Medicaid patients were 21 percent more likely to die in the hospital while receiving treatment for pneumonia.
- For all three conditions, length of stay was significantly longer for Medicaid and uninsured patients.
For more information, go to www.hospitalmedicine.org.
This article 1st appeared in the July 2010 issue of Trustee Magazine.
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