Hypertension Readmissions More Common in COPD Patients with Major Comorbidities in Selected South Carolina Hospitals

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In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

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By: James Pitt  Jun. 28, 2018

A Lancet Respiratory Medicine meta-analysis found that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) have a 1.33 odds ratio of being diagnosed with hypertension, compared to the non-COPD population.

Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Dexur has previously reported on the relationship between smoking and malignant hypertension. Nationally, 3.31% of COPD inpatients are readmitted with hypertension within 30 days of discharge, according to Dexur's data.

To examine the effects of hypertension in patients with COPD, Dexur analysts examined hospital-level data on 2013-2016 CMS inpatient discharges at six selected hospitals in South Carolina. The percentage of readmissions with hypertension was similar across hospitals.

Hypertension readmission rates were higher for patients with COPD with major complications or comorbidities (DRG 190) than for COPD patients in general.

COPD patients with non-major complications (DRG 191) showed no consistent trend in hypertension readmission rates.

The highest hypertension readmission rate in overall COPD patients was 4.32%, at Grand Strand Medical Center (Myrtle Beach, SC). The lowest was 2.74%, at AnMed Health Medical Center (Anderson, SC).

AnMed Health Medical Center had the highest proportion of COPD patients with complications or major complications in the sample. 51% of its COPD patients had major complications or comorbidities; only 12% had no complications. The highest percentage of COPD patients with no complications was 27%, at Trident Medical Center.

Smoking and hypertension are among the largest sources of ill health worldwide. A Lancet analysis for the 2015 Global Burden of Disease study measured contributors to disability-adjusted life years worldwide. High blood pressure (hypertension) and smoking were the top two contributors.

Hypertension accounted for about 211 million lost years of healthy life between 1900 and 2015, while smoking accounted for about 148 million lost years of healthy life in that period.

DEXUR PRO MEMBERS GET ACCESS TO:

1. Total Discharges
2. Total Discharges After Exclusion
3. All Cause 30 Day Readmissions
4. 30 Day Hypertension Readmissions
5. 30 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)
6. State 30 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)
7. National 30 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)
8. % 30 Day Readmissions back to Same Hospital
9. 30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmissions
10. 30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)
11. State 30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)
12. National 30 to 60 Day Hypertension Readmission Rate (%)

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For COPD overall, DRG 190, DRG 191, and DRG 192, from 2013-2016, for the following hospitals:

1. McLeod Regional Medical Center (Florence, SC)
2. Trident Medical Center (Charleston, SC)
3. Grand Strand Medical Center (Myrtle Beach, SC)
4. Lexington Medical Center (West Columbia, SC)
5. AnMed Health Medical Center (Anderson, SC)
6. Piedmont Medical Center (Rock Hill, SC)

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