Health Care Improvement and Cost Reduction Opportunities in Hypertensive Medicaid Beneficiaries

Hypertension and its complications are more frequent and occur about a decade earlier in life among high‐risk groups, especially in the Southeast. Moreover, socioeconomic status is inversely related to hypertension and cardiovascular complications. Low‐income, young and middle‐aged adults living in the Southeast may be at especially high risk. Data on inpatient admissions among hypertensive Medicaid beneficiaries living in this region may provide insights on the burden of hypertension‐related disease and on opportunities for successful intervention. A study of hospitalization rates and costs among 44,440 hypertensive Medicaid beneficiaries in South Carolina from 1993–1996 showed that 16,883 (38%) were continuously enrolled in Medicaid. Of this group, 63% were African American and 74% were women. Among the continuously enrolled patients, 7637, or about 45%, were hospitalized during the 4‐year period. These 7637 individuals accounted for 20,698 hospital admissions, i.e., 2.7 admissions per person, over the 4‐year interval. Nearly two thirds of the hospitalizations included a cardiovascular or renal diagnosis. Hospital claims paid reached nearly $90 million for the 7637 hypertensive Medicaid recipients during the 4‐year period. Among patients discharged from the hospital with congestive heart failure, 33% filled a prescription for an angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor within 90 days; 13% of patients discharged with an acute myocardial infarction filled a prescription for a β blocker within 90 days. The data confirm that hypertensive Medicaid beneficiaries in the Southeast are hospitalized at high rates. Cardiovascular and renal morbidity account for the majority of the inpatient admissions. The findings suggest that the application of evidence‐based guidelines would improve health, avoid cost, and reduce racial disparities in health outcomes.