Trends in Hospital Diagnoses for Black Patients and White Patients: 1980-87

摘要

Previous research has identified significant differences in discharge ratesbetween black patients and white patients in the United States. However, most of these studies have been limited to populations from a single payer or have reported on a limited number of diagnoses. This study reports trends and variations in discharge rates for black patients and white patients from a national sample of U.S. hospitals for comprehensive list of diseases. This study used discharge abstract data from the Hospital Cost and Utilization Project, 1980-87 (HCUP-2), a sample of more than 500 short-term general, non-Federal hospitals in the United States. The study was based on a random sample of 20 percent of discharges from these hospitals during the period 1980-87 totaling 6.8 million discharges. The principal diagnosis listed on the discharge abstract was classified into one of 185 mutually exclusive diagnosis categories. Discharges