Table 4. . Characteristics of a cohort of Medicare 2014 stroke patients discharged alive, their initial hospital payments and 12 month follow-up measures.
| Variable Name | Mild stroke SASI = 0 n = 3269 (45.0%) | Moderate stroke SASI = 1–6 n = 2386 (32.9%) | Severe stroke SASI = 7–31 n = 1603 (22.1%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age mean (SD) | 79.1 (8.4) | 79.5 (8.5) | 79.7 (8.4) |
| Charlson score Mean (SD) |
1.1 (1.6) | 1.8 (1.8) | 2.4 (1.8) |
| Length of stay Mean (SD) |
4.5 (3.1) | 5.8 (5.4) | 6.6 (4.7) |
| Medicare payment for stroke admission Mean (SD) |
$6850 (5999) | $8456 (7932) | $9688 (9768) |
| Medicare payment over 12 months postdischarge† Mean (SD) |
$29,308 (30,901) | $35,690 (34,084) | $39,007 (35,538) |
| Days at home‡ postdischarge Mean (SD) |
296.2 (115) | 270.5 (129) | 248.7 (137) |
| Patients discharged to inpatient rehabilitation n (%) |
498 (15.2) | 638 (26.7) | 467 (29.1) |
| Females n (%) |
1761 (53.9) | 1310 (54.9) | 1047 (65.3) |
n = 7258.
†All Medicare payments except for prescription drugs for patients for 12 months postdischarge or until death, if death is sooner than 12 months.
‡All days of survival poststroke discharge where patient is not in an inpatient rehabilitation, inpatient acute care hospital or a skilled nursing facility (a patient-centered measure discussed by Myles et al. [32].
SASI: Stroke Administrative Severity Index; SD: Standard deviation.