No Racial Disparities In Surgical Care Quality Observed After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting In TRICARE Patients

In the US, racial disparities in outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are well documented. TRICARE insurance data represent a large population with universal insurance that allows for the robust assessment of the impact of such insurance on disparities in health care. This study...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Health Affairs 2019-08, Vol.38 (8), p.1307-1312
Main Authors:	Chaudhary, Muhammad Ali, de Jager, Elzerie, Bhulani, Nizar, Kwon, Nicollette K., Haider, Adil H., Goralnick, Eric, Koehlmoos, Tracey Pérez, Schoenfeld, Andrew J.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Access African Americans Age Beneficiaries Beta blockers Clinical outcomes Comorbidity Coronary artery Coronary vessels Grafting Health care Health care access Health care policy Health disparities Health insurance Health services Heart surgery Hospitals Inequality Insurance Insurance coverage Medicare Military personnel Mortality Patients Population Quality of care Race Racial differences Racial inequalities Statins Studies Veins & arteries
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Summary:	In the US, racial disparities in outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are well documented. TRICARE insurance data represent a large population with universal insurance that allows for the robust assessment of the impact of such insurance on disparities in health care. This study examined racial differences in specific aspects of surgical care quality following CABG, using metrics endorsed by the National Quality Forum that included the prescription of beta-blockers and statins at discharge and thirty-day readmissions. There were no riskadjusted differences in outcomes between African American and white patients insured through TRICARE. Our study provides a window into the potential impacts of universal insurance and an equal-access health care system on racial disparities in surgical care quality following CABG.
ISSN:	0278-2715 1544-5208 2694-233X