Table 2.
Characteristics of Patients Who Left AMA by Whether Insurance Paid
| Characteristic | Denied Payment (n = 18) | Payment Made (n = 435) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Male | 7 (38.9) | 230 (52.9) | 0.34 |
| Age, mean ± SD | 43 ± 19 | 45 ± 16 | 0.71 |
| Length of Stay, median (IQR) | 1 (1–3) | 2 (1–4) | 0.14 |
| Race | |||
| African American | 10 (55.6) | 380 (87.8) | 0.001 |
| White | 3(16.7) | 26(6.0) | |
| Other* | 5 (27.8) | 27(6.2) | |
| Insurance | |||
| Government (Medicare/Medicaid) | 14(77.8) | 395(90.8) | 0.09 |
| Private Payer | 4 (22.2) | 40 (9.2) | |
| Diagnosis | |||
| Most Common Principal Diagnoses (ICD9)† | |||
| HBSS Disease w/ Crisis (282.62) | 0 (0) | 38 (8.7) | 0.39 |
| HIV (042) | 0 (0) | 22(5.1) | 1.0 |
| Congestive Heart Failure, unspecified (428.0) | 0 (0) | 20(4.6) | 1.0 |
| Secondary Diagnosis (ICD9) | |||
| Tobacco Use Disorder (305.1) | 2 (11.1) | 112 (25.8) | 0.27 |
| Substance Abuse‡ (305.0, 305.5, 305.6, 305.9) | 5 (27.8) | 83 (19.1) | 0.36 |
| Psychological Disorders§ (295.00-302.9, 307.0-190) | 3(16.7) | 80(18.4) | 1.0 |
| Costs | |||
| Total charges (mean ± SD) | $14846 ± 4087 | $29376 ± 1699 | 0.08 |
| Total paid (mean ± SD) | $0 ± 0 | $7218 ± 715 | 0.04 |
| Total cost to hospital (mean ± SD) | $14846 ± 4087 | $22158 ± 1341 | 0.27 |
*1 (5.6%) Hispanic, 1 (5.6%) Asian/Pacific Islander, 3 (16.7%) Unknown
† International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (World Health Organization 1977)
‡ Alcohol Abuse, Opioid Abuse, Cocaine Abuse, Other Mixed or Unspecified Drug Abuse
§ Includes all ICD-9 Mental Disorders: schizophrenic disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, etc; does not included drug induced mental disorders like alcohol withdrawal
||Continuous variables analyzed with t-tests; dichotomous variables analyzed with Fisher’s Exact tests