Patient race is a determinant in receiving coronary angiograph...( Patient race is a determining factor in...),Health

Patient race is a determining factor in receiving a referral for coronary angiography, according to a recent study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, St. Agnes Healthcare, and Bon Secours Baltimore Health System. However, once patients receive a referral, there is no significant difference in receiving the procedure when comparing white and black patients.

Coronary angiography is a very common invasive diagnostic procedure and precursor to life-saving open heart surgery. A small tube, called a catheter, is passed through a vein in a patient's leg and into the blood vessels around the heart. After an image-enhancing substance is injected into the area, x-rays are taken to obtain images of the functioning of the heart's blood vessels. "Physician Referral Patterns and Race Differences in Receipt of Coronary Angiography" was published in the August 2002 issue of the journal Health Services Research. The study found that African-American patients were 71 percent as likely as white patients to obtain a referral for coronary angiography and 63 percent as likely to receive the procedure. White patients were more likely to be privately insured and less likely to have Medicare, Medicaid, or be uninsured. Analysis shows that patients who have private health insurance are more likely than uninsured patients to receive a referral.

Thomas A LaVeist, PhD, a study co-author and associate professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said, "We know from many previous studies that somewhere in the process of getting patients the heart surgery they need, African-American and white patients are ending up with different degrees of access. However, we don't know exactly how or why that's happening. It could be patient choice, doctor's decision making, or something else. This study provides further evidence suggesting that patient preference is probably not what's driving the race disparity in he
'"/>

Contact: Kenna Brigham
paffairs@jhsph.edu
410-955-6878
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
19-Sep-2002

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Patients newly diagnosed with HIV are more likely to enter outpatient care with case management
2. Patient with drug-resistant form of HIV identified
3. Patient knows best when it comes to ulcerative colitis, U-M study finds
4. Patients with cancer have highly increased risk for blood clots
5. Patients with previous heart attacks may not benefit from pacemaker implant
6. Patients with cancer detected on screening mammography undergo less toxic treatment
7. Patient protection laws dont favor health providers
8. Patients with moderate or severe hand dermatitis responsive to drug therapy
9. Patients with abdominal trauma at risk for intra-abdominal infections following surgery
10. Patients who are intubated prior to hospital arrival fare worse find Pitt researchers
11. Patients undergoing weight loss surgery have high rates of H pylori bacteria