Explaining Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Use of High-Volume Hospitals
Racial/ethnic minorities are less likely to use higher-quality hospitals than whites. We propose that a higher level of information-related complexity in their local hospital environments compounds the effects of discrimination and more limited access to services,...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2014-09-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | http://inq.sagepub.com/content/51/0046958014545575.full.pdf |
| Summary: | Racial/ethnic minorities are less likely to use higher-quality
hospitals than whites. We propose that a higher level of information-related complexity
in their local hospital environments compounds the effects of discrimination and more
limited access to services, contributing to racial/ethnic disparities in hospital use.
While minorities live closer than whites to high-volume hospitals, minorities also face
greater choice complexity and live in neighborhoods with lower levels of medical
experience. Our empirical results reveal that it is generally the overall context
associated with proximity, choice complexity, and local experience, rather than
differential sensitivity to these factors, that provides a partial explanation of the
disparity gap in high-volume hospital use. |
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| ISSN: | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |