Trends in 30-Day Readmission for Medicaid and Privately Insured Pediatric Patients: 2010-2017.

BACKGROUND: Children insured by Medicaid have higher readmission rates than privately insured children. However, little is known about whether this disparity has changed over time. METHODS: Data from the 2010 to 2017 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Readmissions Database were used to compare trends in 30-day readmission rates for children insured by Medicaid and private insurers. Patient-level crude and risk-adjusted readmission rates were compared by using Poisson regression. Hospital-level risk-adjusted readmission rates were compared between Medicaid- and privately insured patients within a hospital by using linear regression. RESULTS: Approximately 60% of pediatric admissions were covered by Medicaid. From 2010 to 2017, the percentage of children with a complex or chronic condition increased for both Medicaid- and privately insured patients. Readmission rates were consistently higher for Medicaid beneficiaries from 2010 to 2017. Readmission rates declined slightly for both Medicaid- and privately insured patients; however, they declined faster for privately insured patients (rate ratio: 0.988 [95% confidence interval: 0.986–0.989] vs 0.995 [95% confidence interval: 0.994–0.996], P for interaction CONCLUSIONS: Readmission rates for Medicaid- and privately insured pediatric patients declined slightly from 2010 to 2017 but remained substantially higher among Medicaid beneficiaries suggesting a persistence of the disparity by insurance status.