Changes in Racial Disparities in Access to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery Between the Late 1990s and Early 2000s

Bibliographic Data

ID9103115
AuthorsDana B Mukamel (0000-0003-4147-5785, University of California, Irvine, corresponding author), David L Weimer (0000-0001-9237-623X, University of Wisconsin–Madison), Thomas C Buchmueller (0000-0002-3068-7419, Ross School), Heather Ladd (0000-0003-4427-7178, University of California, Irvine, corresponding author), Alvin I Mushlin (0000-0002-9298-9084, Cornell University)
Year2007
Volume45
Issue7
Pages664-671
Publication date2007-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/mlr.0b013e3180325b81
PMID17571015
OpenAlexW1999360576
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited24

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in medical care in the United States are pervasive and persistent. Minorities, African American patients in particular, have lower utilization rates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and, compared with white patients, they receive care from surgeons with worse records of performance. OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine the persistence of disparities in CABG care (overall access to surgery and access to high-quality surgeons) in recent years and the potential causes for declining disparities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We undertook a retrospective analysis of data comparing access to CABG surgery and access to high-quality cardiac surgeons for white and black patients in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Data used included the Medicare inpatient and physician part B claims and the New York State Cardiac Surgery Reports. A total of 24,087 Medicare fee-for-service patients undergoing CABG surgery between the years 1997-1999 and 23,048 patients undergoing CABG surgery between the years of 2001-2003 in New York State were studied. We measured the number of patients undergoing surgery by race and quality of surgeons measured by the surgeons' risk-adjusted mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities have declined between the 2 periods. The decline seems to be associated with freed surgical capacity among all surgeons, although other factors may also present barriers, especially in terms of overall access to surgery. Despite the decline in disparities, gaps in care received by white and black patients remain

Artery · Bypass grafting · Cardiac surgery · Coronary artery bypass surgery · Health equity · Medical record · Public health · Retrospective cohort study · Acute Myocardial Infarction Research · Diversity and Career in Medicine · Emergency Medicine · Global Health Workforce Issues · Medicine · Nursing · Surgery

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