Table 1.
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Men | 135 (52) |
| Age (y) | 70.5 (58-81) |
| Duration of hospitalization (d) | 2 (1-4) |
| Admission diagnosis | |
| Acute coronary syndrome | 89 (35) |
| HF | 41 (16) |
| Other cardiac diagnosis | 128 (50) |
| Charlson comorbidity index | 4 (2-5) |
| Comorbid conditionsc | |
| CAD alone | 90 (35) |
| HF alone | 43 (17) |
| CAD and HF | 59 (23) |
| Neither CAD nor HF | 66 (25) |
| Handling medications at home | |
| Self-managed | 175 (68) |
| Family or friend helped | 48 (19) |
| Family handled all medications | 35 (14) |
| Pillbox use | 170 (66) |
| Scheduled home prescriptions | 7.5 (5-10) |
| Health literacy score | 4 (3-5) |
| Self-reported adherence | 213 (83) |
a
CAD = coronary artery disease; HF = heart failure.
b
Data are presented as No. (percentage) of patients or median (interquartile range).
c
CAD and HF were identified by established diagnoses in medical records; other comorbid conditions were not emphasized because they were not targeted by Medicare.