title: Cost Burden of Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations for Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Whites in Hawai'i.
abstract: We compared the cost burdens of potentially preventable hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease and diabetes for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Whites using Hawai'i statewide 2007-2012 inpatient data. The cost burden of the 27,894 preventable hospitalizations over six years (total cost: over $353 million) fell heavily on Native Hawaiians who had the largest proportion (23%) of all preventable hospitalizations and the highest unadjusted average costs (median: $9,117) for these hospitalizations. Diabetes-related amputations (median cost: $20,167) were the most expensive of the seven preventable hospitalization types. After adjusting for other factors (including age, insurance, and hospital), costs for preventable diabetes-related amputations were significantly higher for Native Hawaiians (ratio estimate:1.23; 95%CI:1.05-1.44), Japanese (ratio estimate:1.44; 95%CI:1.20-1.72), and other Pacific Islanders (ratio estimate:1.26; 95%CI:1.04-1.52) compared with Whites. Reducing potentially preventable hospitalizations would not only improve health equity, but could also relieve a large and disproportionate cost burden on some Pacific Islander and Asian American communities.
authors.forename: Tetine L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Sentell
authors.forename: Hyeong Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miyamura
authors.forename: Deborah T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Juarez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000208:ethnology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000191:economics* / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*