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Uninsured more likely than insured to die in hospital from MIs, stroke, pneumonia
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 28, 2010
Privately insured patients hospitalized for three common medical conditions have lower in-hospital mortality than the uninsured or Medicaid patients, according to a study published online June 10 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Researchers examined data on 154,381 patients age 18 to 64 who were discharged from U.S. hospitals in 2005. The data were compiled in the 2005 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a nationally representative database of hospital stays maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The patients in the study had a main diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, stroke or pneumonia. Researchers found 47.5% were privately insured and 12% had no insurance. An additional 17% received Medicaid, and 23.5% were assigned to Medicare.
Compared with privately insured patients, those without insurance had 52% higher odds of dying in the hospital from acute myocardial infarction. For stroke, the uninsured had 49% greater odds of an in-hospital death. Medicaid recipients had 21% higher odds of dying from pneumonia in the hospital than did privately insured patients (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/06/28/prbf0628.htm.
