Disparities in unplanned surgery amongst medicare beneficiaries

While significant efforts have been made to understand surgical disparities for procedures that are performed in either the elective or unplanned settings, far less is known about procedures performed in both settings.

Cross-sectional study of 1,135,743 Medicare beneficiaries undergoing incisional hernia repair, colectomy, or abdominal aortic aneurysm repair between 2014 and 2018. Risk-adjusted outcomes were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Compared to White beneficiaries, unplanned surgery rates were higher for Black (44.0%vs38.8%, OR = 1.29,p < 0.001) and Asian beneficiaries(40.4%vs38.8%,OR = 1.09,p < 0.001). While there were minimal differences in 30-day mortality for elective procedures, unplanned procedures demonstrated wider disparities (Black vs White 12.4%vs11.3%,OR = 1.11,p < 0.001; Asian vs White 13.2%vs11.3%,OR = 1.18,p < 0.001). Similar patterns were observed for readmissions.

Unplanned procedures are more common and demonstrate wider disparities in outcomes among minority Medicare beneficiaries. Reducing unplanned surgery rates among these groups may be an effective strategy to limit overall disparities in postoperative outcomes.