logo

Exploring the association between private health insurance and coronary artery disease burden in regional Australia using computed tomography coronary angiography


T. Bemand, H. Kempton, J. Suttie

Background

Private health insurance globally may be associated with a lower risk of overall mortality. However the relationship between burden of cardiovascular disease and health insurance in regional Australia is currently unclear.

Method

A prospective longitudinal study of those undergoing computed tomography cardiac angiography in a single radiology centre in Wagga Wagga. Coronary artery disease was measured by calcium scoring and compared according to health insurance status.

Results

A total of 1436 patients were included in this trial, and 764 (53.2%) had private health insurance. There was no significant difference in the distributions of calcium score between those who did and did not have private health insurance (medians [25th centile - 75th centile] 6 [0-132.5] and 11 [0-136] respectively; Mann-Whitney U p=0.4)

Conclusion

Preliminary data suggest there is no association between private health insurance and coronary artery disease burden in regional Australia for the population investigated.

November, 2020
10.37912/WaggaJOM.0301.37

Subscribe to our newsletter

Latest Articles
Admin Editor,
December, 2024
Research
Cost-Effective Analysis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Models of Care, A Rural Perspective
Dr Thomas Skinner, BSci, M.D. Dr Symret Singh, BCom M.D. , Dr Nishmi Gunasingam Introduction Unlike many chronic conditions, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are often...
Admin Editor,
December, 2024
Research
Can artificial intelligence play a role in the analysis of non-gated, non-cardiac CT?
Jack Evans, Professor Joseph Suttie Abstract The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has offered an opportunity to improve processing time and diagnostic accuracy of radiological images (1). Deep...
Admin Editor,
December, 2024
Research
Asthma Morbidity and its Association with Socioeconomic Status in the Australian Population
Dr. Matin Zohoori Niya, Dr. Joanne Hart, Dr. Rajneesh Kaur Background Asthma Australia reports that prevalence of asthma is highest among people living in the lowest socioeconomic areas. Studies...
Admin Editor,
December, 2024
Research
The Many Fronts of Heart Failure Monitoring – An Observational Study into Heart Failure Patients using Right Heart Catheterisation and Pulse Wave Analysis
Billy Poulden, Dr Audrey Adji, Professor Christopher Hayward Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a condition that occurs when a person’s heart is unable to pump enough blood to adequately...
Admin Editor,
December, 2024
Research
Outcomes of Telepsychiatry in Australia, a clinical review
Helen Devery and Peter Sheeran Introduction Use of telephone and videoconferencing technologies by psychiatrists is a frequently proposed solution to address lack of resourcing and staff shortages in regional...