HOME >> MEDICINE >> NEWS
'Sobering' disparity: African-Americans receive less compensation for job-related back injuries

ST. LOUIS -- African-Americans with work-related back injuries have less money spent on their medical care and receive less compensation for their injuries than Caucasians, according to a Saint Louis University study in the December issue of Pain.

"The implications of these differences are sobering," said Raymond C. Tait, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and principal investigator of the study.

"Even though patients have equal access to health care through the Workers' Compensation system, there are substantial differences in the treatment costs that they incur. African-Americans and the poor clearly fare worse."

The research examined 1,472 Workers' Compensation cases in Missouri that involved lower back injuries, which often are a source of chronic pain. The study found that African-Americans had less money spent on their medical care, less excused time from work and smaller financial settlements than Caucasians.

Saint Louis University researchers found that differences in case settlements also varied with socioeconomic status. Those of lower socioeconomic status - who were less educated and earned smaller incomes - received less costly medical care and smaller financial settlements for their injuries than those who were more educated and had higher incomes.

However the differences were not so pronounced as those between African-Americans and Caucasians, added John Chibnall, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and a study co-investigator.

"We expected that African-Americans would incur shorter treatment periods, lower treatment costs, lower temporary total disability payments, lower disability ratings and lower settlement awards," Chibnall said. "The extent of it surprised us. It's pretty clear there is disparity in a system that's supposed to provide equal access for everyone."

  • Medical care expenditures
    '"/>


Contact: Nancy Solomon
solomonn@slu.edu
314-977-8017
Saint Louis University
29-Nov-2004


Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine news :

1. Researchers say breast cancer in Africa may provide clues to the disease in African-Americans
2. African-Americans receive less aggressive heart attack treatment
3. African-Americans may need more medication to control asthma
4. Good medicine, good economics: African-Americans need equal treatment for pain, SLU study finds
5. Beliefs may hinder HIV prevention among African-Americans
6. Study suggests obesity has lesser financial impact on African-Americans
7. White physicians slower to prescribe HIV medications for African-Americans than for whites
8. Socio-economic factors sway African-Americans
9. African-Americans respond poorly to hepatitis C treatment
10. African-Americans more likely to die of colon cancer
11. Depressive symptoms in middle-aged inner-city African-Americans higher than expected

Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/22/2013)... leader, Professor John Mathews from the University of Melbourne ... weighed against the undoubted benefits from CT scans in ... reported in the British Medical Journal today ... Oxford University, and the International Agency for Research on ... "CT scans were very useful in providing detailed three ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... percent of patients being treated for COPD at ... disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with ... pulmonary disease. , "While there have been many ... not been a U.S.-based study that has quantified ... MSc, a second-year medical resident at Saint ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... The PreDiabetes Center of King ... Greater Philadelphia Tour de Cure, a premier cycling event that ... about stopping the spread of diabetes , a chronic ... The Tour de Cure will take place Saturday, June 1 ... Ambler, 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, between the hours of ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... Detroit, Michigan (PRWEB) May 22, 2013 ... free service filters through local businesses and connects consumers ... seconds. Detroit’s residents have less time to handle personal ... their longer commutes to and from work. So, they ... searching for the right local available professional. , Now, ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 22, 2013 CoCENTRIX, a leading ... Health and Human Services and community providers, announced ... (ADMH) selected the CoCENTRIX Coordinated Care Platform ... the Health Records and coordinate care within and ... , CoCENTRIX is transitioning the hospitals' official records ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Small increase in cancer risk following CT scans in childhood and adolescence 2Health News:Study finds COPD is over-diagnosed among uninsured patients 2Health News:Study finds COPD is over-diagnosed among uninsured patients 3Health News:PreDiabetes Centers to Appear at the Philadelphia Tour de Cure 2Health News:PreDiabetes Centers to Appear at the Philadelphia Tour de Cure 3Health News:Seva Call Revs Its Engines to Launch in Motor City 2Health News:The State of Alabama Selects the CoCENTRIX Coordinated Care Platform to Facilitate Care for Its Citizens Treated in State Psychiatric Hospitals 2Health News:The State of Alabama Selects the CoCENTRIX Coordinated Care Platform to Facilitate Care for Its Citizens Treated in State Psychiatric Hospitals 3
(Date:5/22/2013)... 2013  Grifols, a global healthcare company based in ... a study demonstrating that a higher dose of PROLASTIN ... of the alpha 1 protein in patients with ... considered within the normal range for healthy individuals. AAT ... levels of the alpha 1 proteinase inhibitor (A1PI) ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... May 22, 2013 Varian Medical Systems ... received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and ... processing workstation that combines radio frequency (RF) and ... Nexus DRF Digital X-Ray Imaging System™ has the ... receptors, including CCD cameras and commercially available flat-panel ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... While many parents may think that allowing ... home under adult supervision keeps kids safe and leads ... there are serious negative consequences for both parents and ... The Treatment Research Institute (TRI) today announced the ... and caregivers to help inform them about one of ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Grifols study demonstrates higher dose of PROLASTIN-C increases levels of alpha1-PI to within normal range in patients with AAT deficiency 2Grifols study demonstrates higher dose of PROLASTIN-C increases levels of alpha1-PI to within normal range in patients with AAT deficiency 3Grifols study demonstrates higher dose of PROLASTIN-C increases levels of alpha1-PI to within normal range in patients with AAT deficiency 4Varian Medical Systems Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance of its Nexus DRF Digital X-Ray Imaging System 2Myths Debunked: Underage Drinking of Alcohol at Home Leads to Real Consequences for Both Parents and Teens 2Myths Debunked: Underage Drinking of Alcohol at Home Leads to Real Consequences for Both Parents and Teens 3Myths Debunked: Underage Drinking of Alcohol at Home Leads to Real Consequences for Both Parents and Teens 4Myths Debunked: Underage Drinking of Alcohol at Home Leads to Real Consequences for Both Parents and Teens 5Myths Debunked: Underage Drinking of Alcohol at Home Leads to Real Consequences for Both Parents and Teens 6Myths Debunked: Underage Drinking of Alcohol at Home Leads to Real Consequences for Both Parents and Teens 7
Cached News: