CORR Insights®: Are There Nationwide Socioeconomic and Demographic Disparities in the Use of Outpatient Orthopaedic Services?

摘要

Rabah et al. [4] reported disparities in the use of outpatient and emergency department services to treat nonurgent orthopaedic diagnoses. Their finding that Hispanic, black, and lower-income patients use office-based orthopaedic care less than others has broad policy implications, given the potential negative consequences for health and added costs associated with delayed treatment of elective conditions. Access to healthcare in the appropriate setting is limited by a variety of factors including the availability of insurance and the distribution of hospitals and providers in different communities. There are also well-documented disparities in the use of facilities based on socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic differences. This raises concerns about poorer health outcomes and increased costs. Specifically, there is a mismatch between the ability to deliver appropriate care for elective orthopaedic conditions and the more-limited types of treatment available in the emergency department. For example, patients who present to the emergency department for chronic hip and knee arthritis are not likely to gain access to the tremendous functional benefits of total joint arthroplasty.