Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of Medicare patients aged 65 years and older treated for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in categories based on the median discrepancy between Medicare reimbursement and hospital charges (NIS 2009–2010).
| Discrepancy between Medicare reimbursement and hospital charges ≤ $177,380 | Discrepancy between Medicare reimbursement and hospital charges > $177,380 | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Number (%) | 3188 | 3256 | |
| Age mean (SD) | 73.9±15 | 73.1±13 | 0.09 |
| Women | 2461(77) | 2575(79) | 0.5 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| Whites | 2009(75.3) | 1713(66.3) | 0.03 |
| African Americans | 311(11.6) | 312(12.1) | 0.9 |
| Hispanics | 150(5.6) | 353(13.7) | 0.002 |
| Others | 198(7.5) | 203(7.9) | 0.9 |
| Co-morbid conditions | |||
| Hypertension | 2465(77.3) | 2360(72.4) | 0.1 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 468(14.7) | 565(17.3) | 0.2 |
| Dyslipidemia | 271(8.5) | 163(5.0) | 0.03 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 410(12.8) | 482(14.8) | 0.4 |
| Congestive heart failure | 239(7.5) | 396(12.1) | 0.05 |
| Chronic lung disease | 601(18.8) | 543(16.6) | 0.5 |
| Renal failure | 126(4.0) | 179(5.5) | 0.3 |
| Nicotine dependence | 604(19.0) | 324(10.0) | 0.01 |
| Alcohol abuse | 88(2.7) | 89(2.7) | 0.9 |
| In hospital complications | |||
| Pneumonia | 226(7.1) | 618(19.0) | < 0.001 |
| Deep venous thrombosis | 64(2.0) | 150(4.6) | 0.007 |
| Urinary tract infection | 735(23.0) | 1198(36.8) | < 0.001 |
| Sepsis | 150(4.7) | 356(11.0) | 0.04 |
| Pulmonary embolism | 5(0.1) | 75(2.3) | 0.009 |
| Myocardial infarction | 159(5.0) | 276(8.4) | 0.05 |
| In hospital procedures | |||
| Endovascular treatment | 2137(67.0) | 2159(66.3) | 0.8 |
| Surgical treatment | 1051(33.0) | 1096(33.7) | 0.8 |
| Cerebral angiography | 2365(74.1) | 2484(76.3) | 0.5 |
| Intubation | 679(21.3) | 1206(37.0) | 0.002 |
| Mechanical ventilation | 634(20.0) | 1603(49.2) | < 0.001 |
| Gastrostomy | 220(7.0) | 1136(35.0) | < 0.001 |
| Tracheostomy | 0(0) | 15(0.5) | n/a |
| Blood transfusion | 291(9.1) | 753(23.1) | < 0.001 |
| APRDRG severity of illness | < 0.001 | ||
| Minor loss of function | 109(3.5) | 10(0.3) | |
| Moderate loss of function | 470(14.7) | 112(3.4) | |
| Major loss of function | 1413(44.3) | 783(24.1) | |
| Extreme loss of function | 1195(37.5) | 2350(72.2) | |
| Hospital bed size | 0.03 | ||
| Small | 100(3.3) | 107(3.4) | |
| Medium | 336(10.7) | 158(5.0) | |
| Large | 2696(86.0) | 2896(91.6) | |
| Teaching status | 0.4 | ||
| Non teaching | 520(16.6) | 387(12.2) | |
| Teaching | 2613(83.4) | 2775(87.8) | |
| Hospital regions | 0.004 | ||
| Northeast | 445(14.0) | 587(18.0) | |
| Midwest | 714(22.4) | 560(17.2) | |
| South | 1515(47.5) | 931(28.6) | |
| West | 513(16.1) | 1177(36.2) | |
| Length of stay: Mean in days (SD) | 11.2±15 | 24.4±28 | < 0.001 |
| Hospital charges: Mean in $ (SD) | 131571±101603 | 385894±422787 | < 0.001 |
| Discharge disposition | |||
| None to minimal disability | 943(29.6) | 390(12.0) | < 0.001 |
| Moderate to severe disability | 1397(43.8) | 2383(73.2) | < 0.001 |
| In hospital mortality | 848(26.6) | 481(14.8) | < 0.001 |