Contribution of New Technologies to Racial Disparities in Healthcare

• Activity Number: 274
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Health Policy Statistics*
• Author(s): Ernest Moy*+
• Affiliation(s): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Keywords: racial disparities ; technology diffusion

Abstract

Objectives: To study the role of differential diffusion of new technologies on racial disparities in healthcare. Study Design: Secondary analysis of hospital discharge data from AHRQ's Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1994-1998.

Findings: 1.) Overall, blacks had lower rates of procedures than whites did. 2.) Disparities in procedure rates between blacks and whites were larger for newer ,compared with older, technologies and largest for technologies with the most recently introduced ICD-9-CM procedure codes. 3.) Disparities in procedure rates were larger for procedures that grew rapidly in volume between 1994 and 1998, compared with those that grew more slowly. 4.) Over time, disparities in procedure rates for new and diffusing technologies tend to attenuate.

Conclusions: 1.) Whites tend to receive newer and diffusing technologies earlier than blacks do, but over time, disparities tend to diminish. 2.) Newer and diffusing technologies account for only a small fraction of all procedures. The bulk of disparities in procedures are attributable to well-established procedures. 3.) Studying disparities in new technologies may provide insight into the root causes of racial disparities.