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Colorectal Cancer Surgery Outcomes for Vulnerable Patients in Safety-net versus Non-safety-net Hospitals
- Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 24, Number 2, May 2013
- pp. 718-729
- 10.1353/hpu.2013.0062
- Article
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Extensive research documents disparities in health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Safety-net hospitals—those that serve a greater proportion of vulnerable patients with Medicaid or no insurance—may yield better outcomes for these vulnerable patients because of their expertise with this population. National Inpatient Sample data from 2005-2007 show that predicted rates of complications following colorectal cancer surgery are approximately 20% lower for vulnerable patients in safety-net than in non-safety-net hospitals (0.273 versus 0.340; 95% CI for the difference: -0.11, -0.001). Differences by safety-net status for Medicare and privately-insured patients were smaller and not statistically significant. The lower complication rates are not due to earlier discharge, as vulnerable patients had significantly longer stays at safety-net hospitals (1.79 days; 95% CI 0.13, 3.40). Additional research is needed to determine whether improvement in post-operative outcomes is due to the expertise of safety-net hospitals in caring for patients with Medicaid or no insurance.