HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (21) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Escarce, J. J. Articles by McGuire, T. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Escarce, J. J. Articles by McGuire, T. G. Related Collections Other Health Financing Health Policy Access to Care Other Race/Ethnicity Other Statistics/Evaluation/Research

José J. Escarce, MD, PhD and Thomas G. McGuire, PhD

José J. Escarce is with RAND Health, Santa Monica, Calif, and the School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles. Thomas G. McGuire is with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to T. G. McGuire, PhD, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: mcguire{at}hcp.med.harvard.edu).

Objectives. We used 1997 Medicare data to replicate an earlier study that used data from 1986 to examine racial differences in usage of specific medical procedures or tests among elderly persons.

Methods. We used 1997 physician claims data to obtain a random sample of 5% of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. We used this sample to study 30 procedures and tests that were analyzed in the 1986 study, as well as several new procedures that became more widely used in the early 1990s.

Results. Racial differences remain in the rates of use of these procedures; in general, Blacks have lower rates of use than do Whites. Between 1986 and 1997, the ratio of White to Black use moved in favor of Blacks for all but 4 of the established procedures studied.

Conclusions. The White–Black gap in health care use under Medicare is narrowing.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Kleindorfer Sociodemographic Groups at Risk: Race/Ethnicity Stroke, March 1, 2009; 40(3_suppl_1): S75 - S78. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Le Cook, T. G. McGuire, and S. H. Zuvekas Measuring Trends in Racial/ Ethnic Health Care Disparities Med Care Res Rev, February 1, 2009; 66(1): 23 - 48. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Basu and L. R. Mobley Trends in Racial Disparities Among the Elderly for Selected Procedures Med Care Res Rev, October 1, 2008; 65(5): 617 - 637. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. T. Wilson, E. Fisher, and H. G. Welch Racial Disparities in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Among Male Medicare Beneficiaries Arch Surg, May 1, 2008; 143(5): 506 - 510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Griffith, E. Moy, T. M. Reischl, and E. Dayton National Data for Monitoring and Evaluating Racial and Ethnic Health Inequities: Where Do We Go From Here? Health Educ Behav, August 1, 2006; 33(4): 470 - 487. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. M. Asch, E. A. Kerr, J. Keesey, J. L. Adams, C. M. Setodji, S. Malik, and E. A. McGlynn Who is at greatest risk for receiving poor-quality health care? N. Engl. J. Med., March 16, 2006; 354(11): 1147 - 1156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Vaccarino, S. S. Rathore, N. K. Wenger, P. D. Frederick, J. L. Abramson, H. V. Barron, A. Manhapra, S. Mallik, H. M. Krumholz, and the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction Inv Sex and Racial Differences in the Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction, 1994 through 2002 N. Engl. J. Med., August 18, 2005; 353(7): 671 - 682. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. K. Jha, E. S. Fisher, Z. Li, E. J. Orav, and A. M. Epstein Racial Trends in the Use of Major Procedures among the Elderly N. Engl. J. Med., August 18, 2005; 353(7): 683 - 691. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]