Disparities in Medical News

Big disparities in the treatment of arrhythmias across Europe

The latest statistics regarding the use of pacemakers and implantable cardiac devices in Europe was presented on Sunday 21 June, at EUROPACE 2009, the meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) 1 which takes place in Berlin, Germany from 21 to 24 June. These facts and figures, inc...

National Hispanic Medical Association to Focus Health Reform on Health Disparities and Comparative Effectiveness Research

WASHINGTON, June 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the Senate and Congress and stakeholders discuss policy strategies for affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans, there is a critical need to support new knowledge on medical treatment protocols that can reduce health disparities in ou...

Sizable Health Disparities Evident in Every State Between Women of Different Racial and Ethnic Groups

NEW STATE-LEVEL DATA SHOW DISPARITIES VARY WIDELY ACROSS STATES WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A decade after U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called for the elimination of racial disparities in health, women of color in every state continue to fare worse than white women on...

U.S. Civil Rights Commission to Hold Public Briefing on Health Care Disparities Between Minorities and Non-Minorities, and Business Meeting

WASHINGTON, June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following press release was issued today by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: DATE AND TIME: Friday, June 12, 2009; 9:30 a.m. EDT PLACE: 624 9th St., N.W. Room 540 Washington, DC 20425 BRIEFING AGENDA The U.S. Commiss...

Report Reveals Disparities in Pharmaceutical Treatment for Minority Patients

WASHINGTON, May 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report from the National Minority Quality Forum finds that appropriate medications for a variety of diseases often are under-prescribed, over-prescribed, or mis-prescribed for African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans. This comprehensive r...

Several Minnesota Medical Groups Improve Care for Patients Served by Minnesota Health Care Programs, but Disparities Gap Remains

MN Community Measurement issues second annual report on health care disparities - the first of its kind in the nation MINNEAPOLIS, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Although the care provided to patients insured by Minnesota Health Care Programs, including MinnesotaCare, improved since the ...

Racial disparities persist in the treatment of lung cancer

Black patients suffering from lung cancer are less likely to receive recommended chemotherapy and surgery than white lung cancer patients, a disparity that shows no signs of lessening. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the May 15, 2009 issue of CANCER , a peer-reviewed journal of...

Patient preferences play role in racial disparities in rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Racial disparities in the delivery of healthcare occur even among insured populations with access to care. This suggests that some of the differences in health care utilization among different racial groups may be due to patient preferences. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment decisions are freque...

Health Disparities Among Minority Populations Getting Worse

WARSAW, Ind., April 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite government efforts to address disparities in the past decade, beginning with President Clinton's 1998 Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Initiative, there has been very little progress. African-Americans have more disease, disability, and early death...

Study quantifies racial disparities in cancer mortality rates between blacks and whites

African Americans have a shorter life expectancy than whites, and cancer plays a major role in this disparity. African Americans are more prone to get cancer; they tend to present at a later, deadlier stage; and they have poorer survival rates after diagnosis. But to what extent are each of ...

Racial disparities in emergency department length of stay point to added risks for minority patients

(PHILADELPHIA) Sick or injured African-American patients wait about an hour longer than patients of other races before being transferred to an inpatient hospital bed following emergency room visits, according to a new national study published in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine . The auth...

Kidney Care Partners Raises Alarm on Racial Disparities in Kidney Disease; Joins With National Minority Quality Forum to Educate Public, Congress During National Kidney Month

- Patient Advocates and Broader Kidney Care Community,in partnership with the Forum, Unveil Disease "Hot Spots" - WASHINGTON, March 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kidney Care Partners (KCP) - an alliance of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers and manufacturers w...

National Quality Forum Endorses Guidelines to Reduce Disparities in Healthcare and Make Care Patient-Centered and Culturally Appropriate

Practices provide guidance for healthcare systems in areas like leadership, care delivery, workforce training and community engagement WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Quality Forum (NQF), an organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality, has endorsed 45 pr...

Cancer Death Rates Decline Among Blacks, But Disparities Linger

Diagnosis still comes later than for whites and survival is poorer, new report finds WEDNESDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Black Americans' cancer death rates continue to decline, an American Cancer Society report released Wednesday. However, they are still diagnosed at more advanc...

Registered Dietitians Can Do Much to Help Educate Americans and Eliminate Health Disparities in U.S., Says Former Surgeon General

CHICAGO, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former U.S. Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu urged members of the American Dietetic Association to draw on their science-based nutrition knowledge and patient-care skills to prevent diseases such as obesity and diabetes, to help eliminate health disp...

Gender Disparities Persist in Treatment of Stroke

Raft of studies points up many of the differences in care, incidence of brain attacks TUESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Significant gender differences continue to persist with stroke, not only in its incidence, but also in its prevention and treatment. Among other things, women ...

Executive Board Member of National Patient Advocate Foundation, Patient Advocate Foundation Receives National Institutes of Health 2008 Health Disparities Excellence Award

Lovell Jones, PhD, Director of the Center for Research on Minority Health at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Executive Board Member for NPAF and PAF, Honored for His Contributions Toward Eliminating Health Disparities in Minority Communities WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ...

Study examines racial disparities in survival among patients diagnosed with lung cancer

Disparities in survival among black patients diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer are not seen when patients are recommended appropriate treatment, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Surgery , one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Lung cancer causes more deaths in the Uni...

Eligibility criteria contribute to racial disparities in hospice use

ATLANTA, Ga. -- A new study finds that hospice servicescare that is provided by physicians, visiting nurses, chaplains, home health aides, social workers and counselorshave restrictions that reduce usage by many patients who are most in-need, particularly African Americans. The research, published...

Study finds racial disparities increasing for cancers unrelated to smoking

ATLANTA November 6, 2008A new American Cancer Society study finds that recent progress in closing the gap in overall cancer mortality between African Americans and whites may be due primarily to smoking-related cancers, and that cancer mortality differences related to screening and treatment may s...

Racial and ethnic disparities detected in patient experiences

A study surveying patients in more than 1,500 physician practices has found racial and ethnic disparities in patient health-care experiences, with minority patients having worse experiences than white patients. The findings suggest that while all doctors should be attentive to differences in patie...

News from Cancer: Disparities in head and neck cancer patients

A new analysis finds considerable disparities in survival related to race and socio-economic status among patients with head and neck cancer. Published in the November 15, 2008 issue of CANCER , a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that earlier diagnosis and...

Racial disparities decline for cancer in Missouri

Sept. 23, 2008 -- Cancer death rates in the United States are highest among African Americans, but a new report shows that in Missouri the disparity in cancer incidence and death between African Americans and whites is declining. As a result, cancer incidence (the rate of newly diagnosed cases) be...

New Alzheimer's Disease Survey Reveals Disparities Between Beliefs and Behavior in Pursuing Diagnosis

Results Indicate the Need for Adults Age 55 and Over to Know the Signs of Alzheimer's and Take Immediate Action Once Symptoms are Suspected WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite overwhelming support for early Alzheimer's disease (AD) screening and detection, there are striking d...

Study evaluates factors associated with racial disparities in colon cancer screening

Blacks and Hispanics appear less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening than whites because of socioeconomic, health care access and language barriers, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine , one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, other factors ma...

Health Disparities a Costly but Treatable Issue

National Hispanic Medical Association to Showcase Economic Benefits of Health Care Reform at Congressional Briefing June 24 WASHINGTON, June 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amid skyrocketing gas and food prices, there is one cost Americans can help rein in - the rising costs fueled by health d...

Racial disparities reduced in injury related mortality

When it comes to injury-related deaths, the gap between black and white American youths is narrowing, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study found that between 1999 and 2005 injury-related deaths among blacks ages 15 to 24 decreased, w...

Tubbs Jones Addresses Health Disparities Issue During Hearing

WASHINGTON, June 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones addressed the issue of health disparities during a Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Hearing. Her opening remarks in part are as follows. "Mr. Chairman, I am appreciative of the opportunity to address t...

Racial Disparities Widespread in Kidney Patient Outcomes

Studies find mistrust, cultural barriers, segregation of care contribute to inequalities WEDNESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- A range of biological, social and health care-related factors are responsible for the ethnic and racial disparities in results for U.S. patients with kidney di...

Racial disparities in the outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease abound

A number of biological, societal, and health carerelated issues contribute to disparities in the outcomes of US patients with kidney disease, according to two articles appearing in the July 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The articles indicate that immediate an...

Study concludes no racial disparities in long-term outcomes in recipients of liver transplants

CHICAGO (May 19, 2008) New research published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows long-term survival and liver rejection rates are equivalent for African-American liver transplant patients as compared with patients of other races. The study also suggests that although other f...

Study finds racial disparities in smoking cessation treatment

A new study from the American Cancer Society finds black and Hispanic smokers are less likely than whites to receive and use smoking cessation advice and aids. The study, published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, also finds men and those without a usual source of m...

Joint Center Sees Social Determinants of Health as Key to Reducing Disparities at Annual Fund-raising Gala

WASHINGTON, April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is highlighting the need to target social determinants of health in order to reduce disparities and achieve greater health equity. "Health and longevity are inextricably linked to socioeconomic ...

Tracking and feedback registry helps reduce disparities in breast cancer care

Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers presented a new study to evaluate the impact of a tracking and feedback registry on breast cancer surgery patients. Presented at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Diego, the study shows that a tracking system is key to impr...

NHMA, Office of Minority Health Unveil Findings of Summits to Eliminate Health Disparities at Conference April 17-20

WASHINGTON, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hispanic doctors from across the U.S. meet here April 17-20 to share healthcare innovations affecting Latinos and the findings of three "Health Disparities and Hispanics Leadership Summits" by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the National ...

Researchers find disparities in depression among older Hispanics in US

Older Puerto Ricans have higher rates of depression than other Hispanics living in the United States, according to a new study by researchers at Hebrew SeniorLifes Institute for Aging Research (IFAR). Nearly 7 percent of Puerto Ricans, who make up 11 percent of the Hispanics 65 and older in the...

Report Finds Big Disparities in Well-Being of U.S. Kids

Huge gap exists between best and worst states, with Vermont on top and Louisiana at bottom WEDNESDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- For American children, where they are born and raised plays a major role in their chances of getting and staying healthy and living to adulthood, a new rep...

Lack of patient-provider discussion contributes to disparities in use of breast reconstruction

CHICAGO (April 2, 2008) In a new study examining disparities in postmastectomy breast reconstruction, researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital (BWH) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, Mass., concluded that lack of patient-provider discussion may contribute to socioeconomic, age ...

Study finds widespread care disparities in Medi-Cal program

In the first external analysis of the California Department of Health Service's Medi-Cal Managed Care program, researchers from the UCLA Department of Family Medicine found widespread health care disparities based on ethnicity, race and language throughout the system. And African Americans a...

Americans living longer, enjoying greater health and prosperity, but important disparities remain

Average life expectancy continues to increase, and todays older Americans enjoy better health and financial security than any previous generation. However, rates of gain are inconsistent between the genders and across age brackets, income levels and racial and ethnic groups. Some critical disparit...