New Managed Care Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital (Unplanned Readmissions In Pediatric Cardiac Disease: Impacts of Social Determinants of Health): Managed Care

2025 JUN 09 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Managed Care. According to news reporting out of Boston, Massachusetts, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “To investigate relationships between unplanned readmissions and social determinants of health in pediatric cardiac disease. Retrospective cohort study of pediatric (< 18 years) cardiac admissions in the Pediatric Health Information System (1/2019-3/2023).”

Financial support for this research came from NIH National Heart Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Boston Children’s Hospital, “Social determinants included Child Opportunity Index (lower opportunity indicates fewer neighborhood-level resources), insurance, urbanicity, race, and ethnicity. Primary outcomes were unplanned all-cause and cardiac-related 90- and 365-day readmissions. Sub-analyses were performed in cardiac surgical and cardiac medical (congenital versus acquired) cohorts. Of 320,225 admissions, 90- and 365-day all-cause readmission rates were 22.0%, and 33.6% (cardiac-related: 13.8% and 20.9%). Cardiac-surgical patients accounted for 9.4% of readmissions. All-cause 90- and 365-day readmissions were higher among children with Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, Black/African American race, Medicaid, and low/very low opportunity (p < 0.001). Adjusted odds of 90-day readmissions were greater for children with Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (aOR 1.04[95%CI 1.01-1.07]), Medicaid insurance (aOR 1.17[1.14-1.19]), and urban residence (aOR 1.11[1.08-1.14]). At 365 days, odds were also higher for children with Multiracial backgrounds (aOR 1.07[1.01-1.14]) and residing in low/very low opportunity areas (aOR 1.08[1.03-1.12]). All-cause readmission findings were primarily driven by cardiac medical patients with less pronounced effects in surgical readmissions. All-cause readmission rates decreased as opportunity increased for children with Asian and White race but not other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Cardiac-related readmissions had similar results, except for lower readmissions in children with Black/African American race. Children with cardiac disease with fewer resources, public insurance, and underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds have more unplanned readmissions. The child opportunity index modified race-readmission relationships.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Opportunities exist to optimize discharge planning, follow-up, and preventative care.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Unplanned Readmissions In Pediatric Cardiac Disease: Impacts of Social Determinants of Health. Pediatric Cardiology, 2025. Pediatric Cardiology can be contacted at: Springer, One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, Ny, United States. (Springer - www.springer.com; Pediatric Cardiology - http://www.springerlink.com/content/0172-0643/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Miriam T. Fox, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dept. of Cardiology, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, United States. Additional authors for this research include Faraz Alizadeh, Jessica A. Barreto, Ravi R. Thiagarajan, Jane W. Newburger, Sarah D. de Ferranti, Susan F. Saleeb, Katie M. Moynihan, Valerie L. Ward, Patrice Melvin and Mia Umali.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-025-03883-9. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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