The 2005 National Healthcare Disparities Report, developed by
the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is the
first national comprehensive effort to measure differences in
access and use of health care services by various populations.
Below are key findings summarized from the NHDR Report:
- Minorities are more likely to be
diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and colorectal cancer
compared with whites.
- Patients of lower socioeconomic
position are less likely to receive recommended diabetic
services and more likely to be hospitalized for diabetes and
its complications.
- When hospitalized for acute
myocardial infarction, Hispanics are less likely to receive
optimal care.
- Many racial and ethnic
minorities and persons of lower socioeconomic position are more
likely to die from HIV. Minorities also account for a
disproportionate share of new AIDS cases.
- The use of physical restraints
in nursing homes is higher among Hispanics and Asian/Pacific
Islanders compared with non-Hispanic whites.
- Blacks and poorer patients have higher rates of avoidable
hospital admissions (i.e., hospitalizations for health
conditions that, in the presence of comprehensive primary care,
rarely require hospitalization).
To see the full text of the Report, visit http://www.qualitytools.ahrq.gov.
Here is the answer to last month�s trivia question
about provider groups:
A combination of hospitals and physicians that agrees to
render specified services to a group of people, with care
furnished at discounted rates is called a preferred provider
organization (PPO).
