Abstract
Background: While academic hospitals are more likely to apply evidence-based therapies in-hospital for patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) than non-academic hospitals, differences in post-discharge persistence of evidence-based medications have never been evaluated. Methods: We examined 3,184 NSTEMI patients over age 65 treated at 250 hospitals in 2006 in the CRUSADE registry linked to Medicare part D pharmacy data. Using multivariable Poisson regression adjusting for case mix, we compared continued filling of prescriptions for beta-blockers, ACEI/ARB, clopidogrel, and statins at 90 days and 1 year post-discharge between patients treated at academic and non-academic hospitals. Results: Patients treated at academic hospitals were more frequently non-white (19% vs. 8%, p<0.001), but age (median 76 years) and gender (53% female) were not significantly different from patients treated at non-academic hospitals. Patients at academic hospitals were more likely to have a Charlson score >4 (36% vs. 30%, p=0.001), yet the rates of in-hospital PCI (48%) and CABG (8%) were similar between groups. Rates of persistence to evidence-based medications did not differ substantially between patients treated at academic vs. non-academic hospitals at 90 days or 1 year (Table). Persistence to all drug classes prescribed at discharge was low and not significantly different between academic and non-academic hospitals at 90 days (46% vs. 45%, p=0.44 with adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR)=0.99 (0.95,1.04) and at 1-year (39% vs. 39%, p=0.93, adjusted IRR=1.02 (0.98,1.07)). There were no significant differences in index hospitalization duration (median 4 days, interquartile range (IQR) 3-6 for both, p=0.51) and time to first post-discharge cardiac follow-up visit (median 28 days [IQR 15-54] vs. 28 days [IQR 16-56], p=0.25) between patients treated at academic vs. non-academic hospitals. Conclusion: Rates of persistence to evidence-based medications were similar between older NSTEMI patients treated at academic vs. non-academic hospitals, and may reflect similar in-hospital treatment and post-discharge cardiac follow-up. However, persistence rates are low both early and late post-discharge, highlighting a continued need for quality improvement efforts to optimize post-MI management.
Published Version
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