Ankle fractures: What role does level of insurance play in recovery and outcomes?

IntroductionA number of factors including socioeconomic status have been correlated with post-operative outcomes in orthopedic trauma. The objective of this study is to compare post-operative courses and patient-reported outcomes following operatively managed ankle fractures taking into account a patient's level of insurance coverage.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was performed at a single level I trauma center. Patients were identified by billing code for operative intervention of ankle fractures (OTA 44) from January 2014 to January 2015. Study outcomes included narcotic refills, compliance with follow-up visits, visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) survey data, and perioperative complication rates. Statistical analysis included mean comparison between insurance groups and multivariate regression modeling.ResultsFrom January 2014 to January 2015, 209 patients met the inclusion criteria (45 patients under/uninsured vs. 164 fully ins...