Research on medicare and medicaid discussed by scientists at University of Texas
December 8th, 2008
2008 DEC 8 -- "Hip fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the older adult population. The evidence of the incidence of morbidity and mortality in Mexican Americans compared to other ethnic groups is mixed," scientists in the United States report.
"This study aims to examine characteristics and utilization patterns of older Mexican Americans compared to Whites and Blacks, hospitalized for hip fracture in the Southwestern United States. Retrospective analysis of the Medicare and Medicaid claims data for the southwestern states of California, Arizona. Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. All Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and above hospitalized for non-pathologic hip fractures, participated in the study. Mexican Americans were directly identified from the H-EPESE database. The primary outcome measures were length of stay, total charges and number of diagnoses. The total proportion of hospital encounters related to hip fractures within each ethnic group was 3.7% for Whites, 2.0% for Mexican Americans and 1.2% for Blacks. The mean patient age for the hip fracture was 82.5 years while the non-hip fractures encounters had a mean age of 76.6 years. A higher percentage of Mexican Americans who suffered fracture were female. Although length of stay for Mexican Americans was equivalent to Whites, comparative total charges for Mexican Americans were lower. Mexican Americans also have lower mean number of diagnoses at admission than the other groups (MA=5.5, B=6.2, W=5.9: p<0.001)," wrote D.V. Espino and colleagues, University of Texas.
The researchers concluded: "Mexican American elders in the southwestern United States who are hospitalized for hip fractures are more likely to be female, relatively healthier, and have lower health care costs when compared to Whites and especially to Blacks in the same region."
Espino and colleagues published their study in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (Characteristics of hip fractures among hospitalized elder Mexican American Black and White Medicare beneficiaries in the Southwestern United States. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 2008;20(4):344-348).
For additional information, contact D.V. Espino, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Dept. of Family & Community Medical, Division Community Geriatric, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
The publisher's contact information for the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research is: Editrice Kurtis S R L, Via Luigi Zoja 30, 20153 Milan, Italy.
Keywords: United States, San Antonio, Medicare and Medicaid, Aging, Health Policy, Hip Fractures, Medicaid, Medicare, University of Texas.
This article was prepared by Managed Care Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2008, Managed Care Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.
