Original ArticleChildhood Asthma Hospital Discharge Medication Fills and Risk of Subsequent Readmission
Section snippets
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicaid analytic extract (MAX) claims data for 12 states from 2005-2007. The protocol for the conduct of this study was reviewed and determined not to be human subjects' research by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Institutional Review Board. MAX claims include distinct files for personal summary data, inpatient, outpatient drug, and other services' claims, the last of which includes outpatient and emergency department (ED) visits. For the
Results
Between January 1, 2006, and September 3, 2007, 31 658 children were admitted to an inpatient unit for asthma. The cohort were 39% female, 37% non-Hispanic Black, 22% non-Hispanic white, and 32% Hispanic. The majority (61%) were covered by a managed care plan at the time of index hospital discharge; the remainder were covered by fee-for-service plan. The mean age of the cohort was 6.6 years (SD 4.3). The 5 most prevalent hospital-level comorbidities were pneumonia (15%), hypoxemia (12%), upper
Discussion
In this study of Medicaid claims, approximately 55% of children hospitalized for asthma filled a prescription for a beta agonist or oral steroid within 3 days of discharge and 37% filled an inhaled steroid prescription. Those who filled prescriptions for short-acting beta agonists and inhaled steroids experienced early readmission less frequently than children who did not, and those who filled inhaled corticosteroids experienced 15- to 90-day readmission less frequently than those who did not.
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2022, Academic PediatricsRisk Factors for Pediatric Asthma Readmissions: A Systematic Review
2021, Journal of PediatricsCitation Excerpt :One study examined the relationship between medication fills prior to discharge and readmissions. A study of Medicaid claims found that filling either a beta-agonist, ICS, or OCS prescription prior to discharge was associated with a decreased odds of early readmission.65 Filling all 3 medications prior to discharge was associated with a significant reduction in early readmissions (OR 0.32; 95% CI 0.16-0.60).
C.K. received funding from an Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award and salary support from the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.