Do insurance and race represent independent predictors of undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty? A secondary data analysis of 3529 patients

HypothesisRace and insurance status are independent predictors of the choice between total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) of the shoulder joint.BackgroundCurrent literature shows that ethnic and socioeconomic status may influence access to health care. However, no study has demonstrated whether insurance status and race are independent predictors that patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis will undergo TSA.Materials and methodsPatients with primary International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification, procedure codes for TSA and HA were selected from the 1988 to 2007 United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Primary predictors were race (Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, other) and insurance status (private, Medicare, Medicaid, other). Multiple logistic regressions were used to determine whether insurance status and race were associated with the choice of procedure for patients presenting with glenohumeral osteoarthritis.ResultsThe study included data for 3529 patients, of whom 2369 underwent TSA (67.1%) and the remaining 1160 (32.9%) underwent HA. Of patients treated using TSA, 29% were privately insured, 63.2% had Medicare, and 2.5% had Medicaid (P < .001), and 62.1% were Caucasian, 2.5% were African American, 2.46% were Hispanic, and 30.9% had other ethnicities (P < .001).DiscussionMultiple logistic regression analysis found that privately insured patients and Medicare patients did not show statistically different odds of having TSA compared with patients within the Medicaid (reference category) or “other payment” categories, after adjustment for a variety of potential confounders. Caucasian patients also did not show statistically different chances of undergoing TSA compared with African Americans.ConclusionsWe were unable to support statistical evidence that race and insurance status are independent factors associated with the choice of the surgical procedure in patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis.