Disparities in 30-day readmission rates among Medicare enrollees with dementia

Readmissions contribute to excessive care costs and burden for people living with dementia. Assessments of racial disparities in readmissions among dementia populations are lacking, and the role of social and geographic risk factors such as individual-level exposure to greater neighborhood disadvantage is poorly understood. We examined the association between race and 30-day readmissions in a nationally representative sample of Black and non-Hispanic White individuals with dementia diagnoses.

This retrospective cohort study used 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims from all 2014 hospitalizations nationwide among Medicare enrollees with dementia diagnosis linked to patient, stay, and hospital factors. The sample consisted of 1,523,142 hospital stays among 945,481 beneficiaries. The relationship between all cause 30-day readmissions and the explanatory variable of self-reported race (Black, non-Hispanic White) was examined via generalized estimating equations approach adjusting for patient, stay, and hospital-level characteristics to model 30-day readmission odds.

Black Medicare beneficiaries had 37% higher readmission odds compared to White beneficiaries (unadjusted OR 1.37, CI 1.35-1.39). This heightened readmission risk persisted after adjusting for geographic factors (OR 1.33, CI 1.31-1.34), social factors (OR 1.25, CI 1.23-1.27), hospital characteristics (OR 1.24, CI 1.23-1.26), stay-level factors (OR 1.22, CI 1.21-1.24), demographics (OR 1.21, CI 1.19-1.23), and comorbidities (OR 1.16, CI 1.14-1.17), suggesting racially-patterned disparities in care account for a portion of observed differences. Associations varied by individual-level exposure to neighborhood disadvantage such that the protective effect of living in a less disadvantaged neighborhood was associated with reduced readmissions for White but not Black beneficiaries. Conversely, among White beneficiaries, exposure to the most disadvantaged neighborhoods associated with greater readmission rates compared to White beneficiaries residing in less disadvantaged contexts.

There are significant racial and geographic disparities in 30-day readmission rates among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia diagnoses. Findings suggest distinct mechanisms underlying observed disparities differentially influence various subpopulations.