Patient Social Vulnerability and Hospital Community Racial/Ethnic Integration: Do All Patients Undergoing Pancreatectomy Receive the Same Care Across Hospitals?

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the current study was to characterize the role of patient social vulnerability relative to hospital racial/ethnic integration on postoperative outcomes among patients undergoing pancreatectomy.

BACKGROUND

The interplay between patient- and community-level factors on outcomes after complex surgery has not been well-examined.

METHODS

Medicare beneficiaries who underwent a pancreatectomy between 2013 and 2017 were identified utilizing 100% Medicare inpatient files. P-SVI was determined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, whereas H-REI was estimated using Shannon Diversity Index. Impact of P-SVI and H-REI on "TO" [ie, no surgical complication/extended length-of-stay (LOS)/90-day mortality/90-day readmission] was assessed.

RESULTS

Among 24,500 beneficiaries who underwent pancreatectomy, 12,890 (52.6%) were male and median age was 72 years (Interquartile range: 68-77); 10,619 (43.3%) patients achieved a TO. The most common adverse postoperative outcome was 90-day readmission (n = 8,066, 32.9%), whereas the least common was 90-day mortality (n = 2282, 9.3%). Complications and extended LOS occurred in 30.4% (n = 7450) and 23.3% (n = 5699) of the cohort, respectively. Patients from an above average SVI county who underwent surgery at a below average REI hospital had 18% lower odds [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.95] of achieving a TO compared with patients from a below average SVI county who underwent surgery at a hospital with above average REI. Of note, patients from the highest SVI areas who underwent pancreatectomy at hospitals with the lowest REI had 30% lower odds (95% CI: 0.54-0.91) of achieving a TO compared with patients from very low SVI areas who underwent surgery at a hospital with high REI. Further comparisons of these 2 patient groups indicated 76% increased odds of 90-day mortality (95% CI: 1.10-2.82) and 50% increased odds of an extended LOS (95% CI: 1.07-2.11).

CONCLUSION

Patients with high social vulnerability who underwent pancreatectomy in hospitals located in communities with low racial/ethnic integration had the lowest chance to achieve an "optimal" TO. A focus on both patient- and community-level factors is needed to ensure optimal and equitable patient outcomes.