“When we examined these potentially life-saving surgeries, we didn’t see any areas of the country where these disparities were eliminated.”
The study is also significant because of the scope of the data analyzed. By using Medicare enrollees as the sample population, the study examined care for nearly 40 million Americans.
“Looking at these trends over time helps everyone to understand the level of effort that will be needed to address the problem of racial and ethnic disparities in care,” said Fisher, Professor of Medicine and of Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. “It’s important to monitor the problem — it’s equally important to start focusing on solutions.”
To view the full report, “Trends in the use of major procedures among the elderly: Are racial differences narrowing?” visit content.nejm.org
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