Costs and Rehabilitation Use of Stroke Survivors: A Retrospective Study of Medicare Beneficiaries

Objective: To examine mortality, costs, and rehabilitation use in patients with stroke and stroke-related hemiparesis during a 4-year period following stroke onset. Method: This study was a retrospective, longitudinal claims analysis. Patients newly diagnosed with stroke and discharged from the hospital were identified from a 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Mortality, total Medicare costs, use of rehabilitation, and associated costs in stroke survivors with or without hemiparesis were the main outcome measures. Results: Out of 4,604 newly diagnosed stroke patients, 1, 166 developed hemiparesis. The 4-year mortality rate was significantly higher in the hemiparesis cohort than the nonhemiparesis cohort (55.2% vs. 47.5%; p < .01). The average Medicare cost per patient over the 4-year period was $77,143 for the hemiparesis cohort and $53,319 for the nonhemiparesis cohort (p < .01). A significantly higher proportion of patients in the hemiparesis cohort received rehabilitation than in the nonhemiparesis cohort (84% vs. 36% in Year 1, 30% vs. 10% in Year 2, 21% vs. 9% in Year 3, 16% vs. 7% in Year 4). Among patients who received rehabilitation, costs were significantly higher for the hemiparesis cohort ($17,680) than for the nonhemiparesis cohort ($7,841) in the first year. While most rehabilitation costs for the hemiparesis cohort were incurred in the hospital inpatient setting in the first year, the cost burden shifted to skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies in the following 3 years. Conclusions: Hemiparesis following stroke onset contributes to a higher mortality rate and higher Medicare costs in both the short and long term.