Outcomes for Mitral Valve Surgery Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries, 1999 to 2008.

The article presents a study that identifies trends in hospitalization rate, readmission, and mortality among Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients undergoing mitral valve surgery between 1999 and 2008. Findings include a slight decline in the risk-adjusted 30-day readmission, a significant decline in 30-day and 1-year mortality of patients aged 65 years and above, and mortality rates in women and blacks higher across all years.