Researchers set out to examine the relationship between patients’ insurance coverage and interhospital transfers. Their study was based on 315,748 patients (ages 18 to 64) discharged from 1,051 acute-care hospitals with any of the following five diagnoses: biliary tract disease, chest pain, pneumonia, septicemia and skin or subcutaneous infection. Patients’ insurance coverage — private, Medicare, Medicaid or uninsured — was compared with rates of transfer.
The rate of interhospital transfer varied depending on the condition, from 1.3 percent for skin infection to 5.1 percent for septicemia.
But in their adjusted analysis, researchers found uninsured patients were significantly less likely to be transferred for all diagnoses examined except pneumonia. The study also found women were significantly less likely to be transferred than men for all diagnoses examined.
The researchers concluded that differences in interhospital transfer rates may contribute to healthcare disparities.
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