New Peripheral Artery Disease Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at University of Southern California (USC) (Interruption of Insurance Coverage and the Risk of Amputation In Patients With Pre-existing Commercial Health Insurance and …): Cardiovascular Diseases and Conditions – Peripheral Artery Disease

2023 NOV 16 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Cardiovascular Diseases and Conditions - Peripheral Artery Disease. According to news reporting from Los Angeles, California, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is linked with an increased risk of lower extremity amputation and multiple socioeconomic factors attenuate this risk. Prior studies have demonstrated increased rates of amputation in PAD patients with suboptimal or no insurance coverage.”

Financial supporters for this research include National Institute of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) Career Development Award, SVS Foundation Mentored Research Career Development Award, NIH National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the University of Southern California (USC), “However, the impact of insurance loss in PAD patients with pre-existing commercial insurance coverage is unclear. In this study, we evaluated the outcomes of PAD patients who lose commercial insurance coverage. The Pearl Diver all-payor insurance claims database was used to identify adult patients (>18 years) with a PAD diagnosis from 2010 to 2019. The study cohort included patients with pre-existing commercial insurance and at least 3 years continuous enrollment after diagnosis of PAD. Patients were stratified based on whether they had an interruption of commercial insurance coverage over time. Patients who transitioned from commercial insurance to Medicare and other government-sponsored insurance during follow up were excluded. Adjusted comparison (1:1 ratio) was performed using propensity matching for age, gender, the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and relevant comorbidities. The main outcomes were major amputation and minor amputation. Cox proportional hazards ratios and Kaplan-Meier estimate were used to examine the association between loss of insurance and outcomes. Among the 214,386 patients included, 43.3% (n = 92,772) had continuous commercial insurance coverage and 56.7% (n = 121,614) had interruption of coverage (transition to uninsured or Medicaid coverage) during follow up. In the crude cohort and matched cohort, interruption of coverage was associated with lower major amputation-free survival on Kaplan Meier estimate (P < 0.001). In the crude cohort, interruption of coverage was associated with 77% increased risk of major amputation (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.49-2.12) and a 41% high risk of minor amputation (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.31-1.53). In the matched cohort, interruption of coverage was associated with 87% increased risk of major amputation (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.57-2.25) and a 104% increased risk of minor amputation (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.36-1.60).”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Interruption of insurance coverage in PAD patients with pre-existing commercial health insurance was associated with increased risks of lower extremity amputation.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Interruption of Insurance Coverage and the Risk of Amputation In Patients With Pre-existing Commercial Health Insurance and Peripheral Artery Disease. Annals of Vascular Surgery, 2023;96:284-291. Annals of Vascular Surgery can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Annals of Vascular Surgery - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/annals-of-vascular-surgery/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Tze-Woei Tan, University of Southern California (USC), University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Dept. of Surgery, 1520 San Pablo St, Ste 4300, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States. Additional authors for this research include Caronae Howell, Craig Weinkauf, Juan C. Arias, Adelina Lane and David G. Armstrong.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avsg.2023.03.015. 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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