Posted on 06/04/2007 3:14:27 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
Studies have shown that white children are hospitalized more often for medical emergencies than Hispanic or black children. Researchers from George Washington University School of Medicine assumed that the disparity was because the children of color were receiving less aggressive care. But in a new study, researchers found instead that all children were admitted equally when they had true emergencies, and the white children were over-admitted for conditions that could be readily treated at home. Using data available on 8,952 children at 13 pediatric emergency rooms across the country researchers compared observed and expected admission rates for different levels of illness severity, and found that blacks , Hispanics, and whites were equally likely to be admitted if they were severely ill. However, in case of less severe illnesses such as gastroenteritis or pneumonia, which can be easily treated at home, they found that white children were 1.6 times more likely to be admitted than black or Hispanic children. Although the study was not designed to figure out why these disparities exist, lead author Dr. James Chamberlain, also of Children's National Medical Center, speculates that there may be subtle pressures from both families and hospital administrators to admit certain patients, even if it is not medically necessary.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Oops, sorry for the italics. :-(
Maybe the existence of insurance played into the decision to admit or not to admit?
Could it be because they are typically more likely to have health insurance that the hospitals can milk?
Probably because white kids live in sleepier more prosperous towns than black kids.
If your town has a couple of shootouts and driveby shootings each night, well then minor emergencies get cursory treatment.
If your town never sees a shot fired in anger and barely has a traffic light, well, they’ve got to do something in that hospital... so...
Could also be that they find out that the white kid actually has health insurance, and so they can arrange some lucrative tests.
This footnote to the article explains it all.
The white kids probably had health insurance. This article refers to "admittance" not "treatment." All the kids get treated, but no hospital wants to admit a kid without insurance. It's a money-loser. The hospital can only make money if they actively admit patients with insurance.
Follow the dollar.
Initially it's difficult to differentiate from failure to thrive (in the very young), Chron's disease, etc. and so forth.
That one condition could readily account for virtually 100% of the apparant disparity.
You're not saying "follow the money", are you?
I can speak from my experience. The answer is, "no." That doesn't make it universal, but I have a hunch.
Commercial hospitals play to insurance industry - dictated demographic profiles. That I am prepared to assert, even if I cannot prove it.
Incidentally, if you are ignored in an emergency room, and you drop dead, the hospital has no liability. The liability doesn't begin until they acknowledge you. Talk to a good lawyer -- a really exceptionally good lawyer if you can find that is both that and honest -- and it will be confirmed.
Hospitals, like any other industry, are darwinian in methodology. Anything to the contrary is window dressing.
However, I will also say that I had an experience with a foundation-supported hospital (All Children's in St. Pete, Florida), that was the opposite. It was first class and clearly they cared about their patience. There was a Ronald MacDonald house nearby for parents and ever since then I've dropped change into the box at McD's when I go there (if it's functioning).
Hospitals ~ Insurance Companies ~ Most Institutions = The Evil Empire.
As I am a cynical old man, my first thought was identical to yours. Lucrative (from the hospital's viewpoint) medical insurance is more likely for Whites on average than for Black or Hispanic kids. Follow the money.
Probably
Those evil profit mongers < /sar >
As bill clinton might say, it depends what you mean by “hospitalized” or “admitted.”
They have to treat people without insurance, but they are likely to do it in the emergency room. If you have insurance and they admit you to a bed, then they collect a bundle.
“patience” should be “patients.”
To publish a racial study like this without "figur[ing] out why" comes dangerously close to statistical malpractice if not inciting a riot, IMHO.
Undoubtedly, coupled with the wussification of American kids. Parents, especially affluent parents, take their kids to emergency rooms when their kids get the sniffles.
Actually I’ve been hearing 1 in 200 for Hispanics and Africans lately, 1 in 133 for the general population. Every year, as testing becomes more common and more accurate, they increase the number of people expected to have Celiac :(
Now they’re wondering if the believed incidence discrepency between races is more based on the fact that Europe is the only place that really looks for this issue. As America is starting to catch up, they’re starting to realize that most of the preconceived notions surrounding Celiac are false.
Clearly journalist malpractice and probably intended to ratchet things up a bit in order to make liberal candidates look good.
***
It's all about insurance. Period.
That is almost certainly the case.
The hospitals know it is illegal not to provide care to uninsured people for serious emergencies.
And the cost of providing medical care to people, a large number of whom are the illegal foreign nationals, who do not have insurance and are not paying the hospitals for the medical services, is absolutely killing the hospitals and the insurance companies financially.
It actually helps financially to admit the insured folks for the lesser medical needs, as the insurance companies will actually pay agreed rates for the medical services and the hosptitals can cover somewhat the cost of providing the care to the illegals and others for whom little or no payment will be received.
Of course, insurance premiums and the pricing of the medical services are higher than they would have been absent the cost of having to provide the uncompensated care for the illegal foreign nationals.
The treasnous Boston Glob at work.
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