Association of Health Insurance Payer Type and Outcomes After Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: An Analysis of the STS-INTERMACS Registry.

BACKGROUND: Due to the high cost of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy, payer type may be an important factor in determining eligibility. How payer type influences outcomes after LVAD implantation is unclear. We, therefore, aimed to study the association of health insurance payer type with outcomes after durable LVAD implantation. METHODS: Using STS-INTERMACS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons-Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support), we studied nonelderly adults receiving a durable LVAD from 2016 to 2018 and compared all-cause mortality and postindex hospitalization adverse event episode rate by payer type. Multivariable Fine-Gray and generalized linear models were used to compare the outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 3251 patients included, 26.0% had Medicaid, 24.9% had Medicare alone, and 49.1% had commercial insurance. Compared with commercially insured patients, mortality did not differ for patients with Medicaid (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.75-1.34], P=0.99) or Medicare (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.09 [95% CI, 0.84-1.41], P=0.52). Medicaid was associated with a significantly lower adjusted incidence rate (incidence rate ratio, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.78-0.99], P=0.041), and Medicare was associated with a significantly higher adjusted incidence rate (incidence rate ratio, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.03-1.30], P=0.011) of adverse event episodes compared with commercially insured patients. CONCLUSIONS: All-cause mortality after durable LVAD implantation did not differ significantly by payer type. Payer type was associated with the rate of adverse events, with Medicaid associated with a significantly lower rate, and Medicare with a significantly higher rate of adverse event episodes compared with commercially insured patients.

Predicting Long Term Outcome in Patients Treated With Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device: The Penn-Columbia Risk Score.

BACKGROUND: Predicting which patients are unlikely to benefit from continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) treatment is crucial for the identification of appropriate patients. Previously developed scoring systems are limited to past eras of device or restricted to specific devices. Our objective was to create a risk model for patients treated with continuous flow LVAD based on the preimplant variables. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients implanted with a continuous flow LVAD between 2006 and 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania and included a total of 210 patients (male 78%; mean age, 56±15; mean follow-up, 465±486 days). From all plausible preoperative covariates, we performed univariate Cox regression analysis for covariates affecting the odds of 1-year survival following implantation (P<0.2). These variables were included in a multivariable model and dropped if significance rose above P=0.2. From this base model, we performed step-wise forward and backward selection for other covariates that improved power by minimizing Akaike Information Criteria while maximizing the Harrell Concordance Index. We then used Kaplan-Meier curves, the log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazard models to assess internal validity of the scoring system and its ability to stratify survival. A final optimized model was identified based on clinical and echocardiographic parameters preceding LVAD implantation. One-year mortality was significantly higher in patients with higher risk scores (hazard ratio, 1.38; P=0.004). This hazard ratio represents the multiplied risk of death for every increase of 1 point in the risk score. The risk score was validated in a separate patient cohort of 260 patients at Columbia University, which confirmed the prognostic utility of this risk score (P=0.0237). CONCLUSION: We present a novel risk score and its validation for prediction of long-term survival in patients with current types of continuous flow LVAD support.