INSURANCE STATUS AFFECTS MORBIDITY AND COMPLICATION RATE AFTER SHOULDER ARTHROPLASTY

INTRODUCTIONShoulder arthroplasty (SA) is an effective procedure for managing patients with shoulder pain secondary to degenerative joint disease or end stage arthritis that has failed conservative treatment. Insurance status has been shown to be an indicator of patient morbidity and mortality. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the effect of patient insurance status on outcomes following shoulder replacement surgery.METHODSData was obtained from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2004 and 2011. Analysis included patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty procedures determined by ICD-9 procedure codes. Patient demographics and comorbidities were analyzed and stratified by insurance type. The primary outcome was medical and surgical complications occurring during the same hospitalization with secondary analysis of mortality. Pearson's chi¬squared test and multivariate regression were performed.RESULTSA data inquiry identified 103,290 patients (68,578 Medicare, 27,159 private insurance, 3...