Nearly 25% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are hospitalized yearly, often for outcomes that may have been avoided if patients had received sustained outpatient care. We examined acute care use for vaccine-preventable illnesses to determine sociodemographic contributors and modifiable predictors.
Using US Medicaid claims from 29 states (2000-2010), we identified adults (18-65 years) with prevalent SLE and 12 months of enrollment prior to the first SLE code (index date) to identify baseline data. We defined acute care use for vaccine-preventable illnesses as emergency department (ED) or hospital discharge diagnoses for influenza, pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, herpes zoster, high-grade cervical dysplasia/cervical cancer, and hepatitis B after the index date. We estimated the incidence rate of vaccine-preventable illnesses and used Cox regression to assess risk (with hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals) by sociodemographic factors and health care utilization, adjusting for vaccinations, comorbidities, and medications.
Among 45,654 Medicaid beneficiaries with SLE, <10% had billing claims for vaccinations. There were 1,290 patients with ≥1 ED visit or hospitalization for a vaccine-preventable illness (6.6 per 1,000 person-years); 93% of events occurred in unvaccinated patients. Patients who were Black compared to White had 22% higher risk. Greater outpatient visits were associated with lower risk.
Medicaid beneficiaries with SLE who are not vaccinated are at risk for potentially avoidable acute care use for vaccine-preventable illnesses. Racial disparities were noted, with a higher risk among Black patients compared to White patients. Greater outpatient use was associated with reduced risk, suggesting that access to ambulatory care may reduce avoidable acute care use.