OBJECTIVES:

To compare trends by ethnicity in hospital length of stay, total costs and comorbidities in hyperkalemia patients insured by Medicaid.

METHODS: The 2016 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data set from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project was utilized in order to determine the number of hospital admissions for Medicaid patients with hyperkalemia. Propensity score matched analysis was conducted to compare hospital LOS and costs in patients by ethnicity. Thirty comorbidities were assessed using Elixhauser scoring. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess predictor variables for LOS and costs.

RESULTS:

In 2016, there were an estimated 62535, 47690 and 33850 hospitalizations with a diagnosis of hyperkalemia in Medicaid White, Black and Asian patients, respectively. The mean age was similar across three the groups (48.51 (SD 15.4), 47.1 (SD 16.21), 49.82 (SD 18.24) years for White, Black and Asian patients, respectively). The hospital LOS was slightly higher for White and Black patients compared to Asian patients (8.42 (SD 12.35), 8.56 (SD 13.12) and 7.49 (SD 12.26) days, respectively). In contrast, the total hospital charges were slightly higher for Asian versus White and Black patients (Mean $95, 485, $89,372 and $83, 492, respectively). Some comorbidities significantly varied across ethnicity: Renal Failure (38%, 57%, 64%), Hypertension (34%, 55%, 61%), Obesity (22%, 18%, 13%), in White, Black and Asian patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid hyperkalemia patients pose a high burden of hospitalizations. Analysis by race shows that patients differ significantly due to varying rate of comorbidities.