New Medicare and Medicaid Study Findings Reported from Kent State University (Influence of Depression on Utilization of Cardiac Rehabilitation…

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New Medicare and Medicaid Study Findings Reported from Kent State University (Influence of Depression on Utilization of Cardiac Rehabilitation Postmyocardial Infarction A STUDY OF 158 991 MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Medicare and Medicaid. According to news reporting from Kent, Ohio, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "On the basis of several small studies, depression is often considered a barrier to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) enrollment and program completion. The purpose of this research was to examine the association between depression diagnosis and participation in CR in a large sample of Medicare beneficiaries with recent myocardial infarction (MI)."

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Kent State University, "This was a retrospective study of Medicare beneficiaries with an MI during 2008 (N = 158 991). CR enrollment was determined by the Carrier and Outpatient files using the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System #93797 or #93798. Depression diagnosis was obtained from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes in the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR), Outpatient and Carrier Files. The association between depression diagnosis and CR attendance was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Overall, 14% (n = 22 735) of the study population attended CR within 1 year of MI diagnosis. Twenty-eight percent (n = 43 827) had a diagnosis of depression, with 96% of cases documented before enrollment in CR. Twenty-eight percent with a diagnosis of depression compared with 9% without depression attended CR. In adjusted analysis, patients with depression were 3.9 (99% CI, 3.7-4.2) times more likely to attend CR compared with those without depression. Program completion (>= 25 sessions) was more common in those with depression (56%) than in those without (35%) (P <.001). Diagnosis of depression in Medicare beneficiaries was strongly associated with attending CR and attending more sessions of CR compared with those without depression."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Depression is not a barrier to CR participation after MI in Medicare beneficiaries."

For more information on this research see: Influence of Depression on Utilization of Cardiac Rehabilitation Postmyocardial Infarction A STUDY OF 158 991 MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 2017;37(1):22-29. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins - www.lww.com; Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention - journals.lww.com/jcrjournal/pages/default.aspx)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting M.D. Zullo, Kent State University, Dept. of Epidemiol & Biostat, Coll Public Hlth, Kent, OH 44242, United States. Additional authors for this research include E.C. Gathright, M.A. Dolansky, R.A. Josephson, V.K. Cheruvu and J.W. Hughes.

Keywords for this news article include: Kent, Ohio, United States, North and Central America, Medicare and Medicaid, Myocardial Infarction, Health Policy, Cardiology, Medicare, Kent State University.