Rare-21. a national cancer database analysis of the impact of race and insurance status on receipt of observation for acoustic neuroma

CONCLUSIONS:AN patients on Medicaid, treated in an integrated network, residing in the central United States, or with a Charlson/Deyo score of one were less likely to be treated solely with observation. Conversely elderly patients (by 120%), African-Americans (by 50%), patients on Medicare (by 80%), or patients treated in a community hospital (by 200%), were more likely to be treated solely with observation for AN. Given that African-American race and lack of private insurance are independent risk factors for in-hospital morbidity/mortality following AN surgery (Curry et al., 2010), the finding from the present analysis of African-Americans and Medicare patients being triaged to nonoperative care appears to be beneficial, while the triaging of Medicaid patients away from observation may be deleterious. Analysis of postoperative mortality following hospital discharge will be necessary to more definitively address this issue.
Source: Neuro-Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: RARE TUMORS Source Type: research