 |
||||||
When it comes to quality, Americans – rich, poor, black, white – get the same mediocre treatment. That’s according to a study of nearly 7,000 patients in the New England Journal of Medicine. The survey examined whether patients received the highest standard of treatment for 439 measures ranging across chronic and acute conditions and disease prevention, including whether they received the right tests, drugs and treatment. Overall, patients received only 55 percent of the benchmarks of top-quality care for the diagnoses – and no one group did much better or worse. Blacks and Hispanics fared slightly better than other patients, receiving 58 percent of the best care compared with 54 percent for whites. And those with higher incomes fared slightly better – 57 percent for those with an annual household income of more than $50,000 versus 53 percent for people from households of less than $15,000. Interestingly, patients with no insurance at all got 54 percent of the recommended care – just one point less than patients with managed care plans. While snapshots of inequality still exist – an insured white woman received 57 percent of the best care while an uninsured black man received 51 percent – the study’s authors found that once in treatment, minorities’ overall care appears similar to that of whites. “It doesn’t matter who you are,” said Dr. Donald Berwick, who runs the nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, white or black, insured or uninsured. We’ve got equally mediocre care.” Some experts took heart in the relative equality. “The study finds some reassuring things,” said Dr. Tim Carey, who runs a health-service research center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Still, Dr. Reed Tuckson, vice president of United Health Group, said the study finds much room for improvement. “Regardless of who you are or what group you’re in, there is a significant gap between the care you deserve and the care you receive.” Source: CNN
| |
Health
Care in U.S. Subpar for Everyone
