Short- and long-term mortality after an acute illness for elderly whites and blacks.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate racial differences in mortality at 30 days and up to 2 years following a hospital admission for the elderly with common medical conditions.

Data sources

The Medicare Provider Analysis and Review File and the VA Patient Treatment File from 1998 to 2002 were used to extract patients 65 or older admitted with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, stroke, hip fracture, gastrointestinal bleeding, congestive heart failure, or pneumonia.

Study design

A retrospective analysis of risk-adjusted mortality after hospital admission for blacks and whites by medical condition and in different hospital settings.

Principal findings

Black Medicare patients had consistently lower adjusted 30-day mortality than white Medicare patients, but the

SUBMITTER: Polsky D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2517279 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature