Regional density of cardiologists and rates of mortality for acute myocardial infarction and heart failure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cardiologists are distributed unevenly across regions of the United States. It is unknown whether patients in regions with fewer cardiologists have worse outcomes after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart failure (HF).

Methods and results

Using Medicare administrative claims data from 2010, we examined the relationship between regional density of cardiologists and risk of death after hospitalization for AMI and HF using hospitalizations for pneumonia as a comparison. We defined density as the number of cardiologists divided by population aged≥65 years within hospital referral regions, categorized into quintiles. Among 171 126 admissions for AMI, 352 853 admissions for HF, and 343 053 admissions for pneumonia, we tested associations betwe

SUBMITTER: Kulkarni VT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5323047 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature