Medicare and Medicaid status predicts prolonged length of stay after bariatric surgery.

Background: The outcomes of Medicare patients undergoing bariatric surgery have been particularly scrutinized, especially with the Center of Medicare and Medicaid Services' decision to offer bariatric surgery benefits.

Methods: The length-of-stay (LOS) data were analyzed from the National Hospital Discharge Survey from 2002 to 2004. To test the hypothesis that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries were more likely to have a prolonged length of stay (PLOS), we used a multivariate logistic regression model controlling for age, gender, hospital size, and year of procedure.

Results: An estimated 312,000 bariatric procedures were performed nationally from 2002 to 2004. The average patient age was 41.5 years (range 14-75) and 83.6% were women. The in-hospital mortality rate was reported to be .17%. A PLOS occurred in 3.7% of the population. The Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries represented 5.7% and 6.2% of the population, respectively. The Medicare beneficiaries were 6.0 times (95% confidence interval 2.5-14; P <.001) as likely to have a PLOS, and Medicaid beneficiaries were 3.2 times (95% confidence interval 1.2-8.9; P = .02) as likely to have a PLOS as others after controlling for age, gender, hospital size, and year of procedure. For every 10-year increase in age, the risk of a PLOS increased by 30% (P <.012).

Conclusion: Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries are both at an increased risk of a PLOS. This study was not designed to identify the potential causes of a PLOS. Data from prospectively collected bariatric registries might aid surgeons in assessing the risk/benefit ratio of surgical interventions in groups regarded as high risk.