If you are black or female, you will receive major diagnostic or therapeutic procedures much less frequently than if you are white or male. Race and site of care affect physicians' use of corticosteroids to mitigate lung disease in premature infants. Race and sex impact the use of reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Noncompliance with appointments contributes significantly to shorter breast cancer survival among black women. Depression is more likely to be diagnosed in women and more educated patients.
Race influences hospitalization rates for asthma.
Physicians vary widely in providing heart disease prevention services to their patients. Outcomes of knee replacement surgery for elderly patients are much improved when performed in more experienced hospitals. Elderly heart attack patients with multiple health problems do not receive thrombolytic medication as promptly as other patients. American hospitals vary greatly in their commitment to improvements in quality of care. Black Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure or pneumonia may not receive the same care as white Medicare recipients.