Accreditation

Study: Lower performing hospitals treat more minorities, poor patients

Accreditation Connection, October 7, 2011

According to a new report by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, hospitals which scored lowest on certain quality and cost measures treat more than double the number of minority and poor patients compared to those hospitals which scored the highest.

The study, published in Health Affairs, compared quality and cost measures at roughly 3,200 hospitals with the proportion of minority and Medicaid patients the hospitals served.

“As the United States embarks on efforts to improve hospital care using value-based purchasing principles, we will need to help hospitals improve quality and efficiency simultaneously and to monitor the results of their efforts, so that we do not inadvertently worsen disparities in care,” the study concludes.

To view the report, visit the Health Affairs website.

Most Popular

Related Articles