Researchers used data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Innovative Inpatient Quality Indicators and 11 states’ State Inpatient Database records from 2006 through 2008 to compare 15 within-hospital quality of care measures with risk-adjusted mortality rates for patients of varying insurance statuses.
They found lower risk-adjusted mortality rates for patients with private insurance than for Medicare beneficiaries for most quality measures considered. Privately insured patients also had lower risk-adjusted mortality than other payer groups, though to a different extent.
Researchers concluded monitoring quality of care by insurance group could be a more useful way of reducing disparities in care in the healthcare system.
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