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Final Program


Final Program

1518 - Disparities in Stroke Management: The Role of Race and Socioeconomic Status

Thursday, February 27, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM MST

    Co-Author(s)

  • FA

    Faiza Ahmed, BS

    Medical Student
    Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
    Allen, Texas, United States

    • Presenting Author(s)

  • NK

    Nimah Khan, n/a

    Medical Student
    Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso
    El Paso, Texas, United States

Objectives: Disparities in stroke treatment and management are well-documented, with minority and low-income populations often facing barriers to quality care, leading to worse outcomes. This study aimed to analyze disparities in healthcare utilization and Medicare costs for stroke treatment across racial groups, comparing dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid and non-dual-eligible patients. Since dual-eligible status often indicates low income and higher healthcare needs, the study examined how racial background and socioeconomic status influenced hospital discharges as a measure of healthcare utilization, and Medicare payments as a measure of cost of care.

Design: Using the Medicare Inpatient Hospitals by Provider dataset, we calculated average weighted hospital discharges and Medicare payments for stroke patients, stratified by dual-eligibility status and racial background: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, and Other. We analyzed these metrics to assess patterns across racial and socioeconomic groups.

Results:

Significant disparities emerged in both discharges and Medicare costs. Non-dual-eligible White patients had the highest average discharges (314) and Medicare payments of $4,905,547, indicating greater access to comprehensive care. In contrast, dual-eligible White patients had fewer discharges (108) and lower payments of $1,682,523, highlighting socioeconomic barriers. Black patients had discharges of 16 for dual-eligible and 46 for non-dual-eligible, with corresponding payments of $253,887 and $743,594. Hispanic patients showed similar trends, while Asian patients had the lowest values, likely due to a generally lower incidence of stroke. Native American patients, with discharges of 1 for dual-eligible and 2 for non-dual-eligible and payments of $9,751 and $28,254, reflected access barriers and limited data rather than lower incidence.

Conclusions:  This study revealed disparities in access and costs for stroke treatment across racial and socioeconomic groups. Dual-eligible and minority groups, particularly Black, Hispanic, and Native American patients, faced substantial barriers. Targeted policies and interventions are needed to improve preventive and rehabilitative care for underserved populations.