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THURSDAY, March 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Higher 30-day payments for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care for both inpatient care and in multiple settings after discharge are associated with lower 30-day mortality among Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study published online March 12 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Rishi K. Wadhera, M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues used Medicare claims data to identify 642,105 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries at least 65 years old who were hospitalized at an acute-care hospital for AMI between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2014. The association between hospital-level 30-day payments for an episode of AMI care and patient 30-day mortality was assessed.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that overall mean 30-day episode payments per beneficiary were $22,128, and the observed 30-day mortality rate was 12.9 percent. After adjusting for patient characteristics and comorbidities, higher 30-day payments were associated with lower 30-day mortality (P < 0.001). Additional adjustment for hospital characteristics, coronary revascularization rates, and discharge disposition did not significantly attenuate the relationship (P < 0.001).<\/p>\n
“Higher hospital-level 30-day payments — both inpatient and in multiple settings after discharge — for AMI care were associated with lower 30-day mortality among beneficiaries,” the authors write. “This may have implications for payment programs that incent reduction in payments without considering value.”<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n
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