• Michael A Mahr, David O Hodge, and Jay C Erie.
• From the Departments of Ophthalmology (Mahr, Erie) and Health Science Research (Hodge), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
• J Cataract Refract Surg. 2018 Feb 1; 44 (2): 140-143.

PurposeTo determine racial/ethnic differences in rates of complex cataract surgery among United States Medicare beneficiaries.SettingDepartments of Ophthalmology and Health Science Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.DesignRetrospective case series.MethodsThe U.S. Medicare 5% Limited Data Set, representing a 5% sample of over 28 million fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries predominantly aged 65 years and older, were analyzed for rates of complex cataract surgery (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code 66982) among all beneficiaries who had cataract surgery (CPT codes 66982, 66984), stratified by race/ethnicity between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014. Associations were tested by using multivariate regression analysis.ResultsData from approximately 1 087 680 Medicare beneficiaries were analyzed. After adjustment for age and sex, the likelihood of complex cataract surgery was significantly higher in African Americans (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75-2.08), Asians (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.34-1.85), and Hispanics (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.18-1.71) than in whites among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. Complex cataract surgery was more likely in men (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.73-1.92) than in women, and the likelihood of complex cataract surgery increased in the elderly, with beneficiaries older than 84 years more likely to have complex surgery (OR, 2.68, 95% CI, 2.45-2.93) than beneficiaries aged 65 to 69 years.ConclusionThere were racial/ethnic differences in the likelihood of complex cataract surgery among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries; racial/ethnic minorities (Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans) were 42% to 90% more likely to have complex cataract surgery than whites.Copyright © 2018 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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