Socioeconomic Status, Medicaid Coverage, Clinical Comorbidity, and Rehospitalization or Death after an Incident Heart Failure Hospitalization: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Cohort (1987 to 2004)

Citation

Foraker, Randi E.; Rose, Kathryn M.; Suchindran, Chirayath M.; Chang, Patricia P.; McNeill, Ann M.; & Rosamond, Wayne D. (2011). Socioeconomic Status, Medicaid Coverage, Clinical Comorbidity, and Rehospitalization or Death after an Incident Heart Failure Hospitalization: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Cohort (1987 to 2004). Circulation: Heart Failure, 4(3), 308-316. PMCID: PMC3098576

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Among heart failure (HF) patients, early readmission or death and repeat hospitalizations may be indicators of poor disease management or more severe disease.
METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the association of neighborhood median household income (nINC) and Medicaid status with rehospitalization or death in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort study (1987-2004) following an incident HF hospitalization in the context of individual socioeconomic status, and evaluated the relationship for modification by demographic and comorbid factors. We used generalized linear Poisson mixed models to estimate rehospitalization rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (RR, 95% CI) and Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HR, 95% CI) of rehospitalization or death. In models controlling for race/study community, gender, age at HF diagnosis, body mass index, hypertension, educational attainment, alcohol use and smoking, persons with a high burden of comorbidity who were living in low nINC areas at baseline had an elevated hazard of all-cause rehospitalization (1.40, 1.10-1.77), death (1.36, 1.02-1.80), and rehospitalization or death (1.36, 1.08-1.70)-as well as increased rates of hospitalizations-compared to those with a high burden of comorbidity living in high nINC areas. Medicaid recipients with a low level of comorbidity had an increased hazard of all-cause rehospitalization (1.19, 1.05 -1.36) and rehospitalization or death (1.21, 1.07-1.37), and a higher rate of repeat hospitalizations compared to non-Medicaid recipients.
CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity burden appears to influence the association between nINC, Medicaid status and rehospitalization and death among HF patients.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.110.959031

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2011

Journal Title

Circulation: Heart Failure

Author(s)

Foraker, Randi E.
Rose, Kathryn M.
Suchindran, Chirayath M.
Chang, Patricia P.
McNeill, Ann M.
Rosamond, Wayne D.

PMCID

PMC3098576

ORCiD

Suchindran - 0000-0002-5087-7762