MP17-20 RACIAL DISPARITIES IN PRESCRIPTION EXPENDITURES AND NUMBER OF PRESCRIPTIONS FOR COMMON BENIGN UROLOGIC CONDITIONS

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

You have accessJournal of UrologyHealth Services Research: Value of Care: Cost and Outcomes Measures I (MP17)1 Sep 2021MP17-20 RACIAL DISPARITIES IN PRESCRIPTION EXPENDITURES AND NUMBER OF PRESCRIPTIONS FOR COMMON BENIGN UROLOGIC CONDITIONS Michael Rezaee, Charlotte Ward, and Martin Gross Michael RezaeeMichael Rezaee More articles by this author , Charlotte WardCharlotte Ward More articles by this author , and Martin GrossMartin Gross More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002002.20AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Racial disparities in healthcare delivery have been described for many medical conditions in the United States. Little is known about potential racial disparities in the medications prescribed to urology patients. We sought to identify potential racial disparities in prescription expenditures and number of medications prescribed in persons treated for common benign urologic conditions. METHODS: A retrospective secondary data analysis was conducted of adult survey respondents treated for common benign urologic conditions using 2016-2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. MEPS is a nationally representative survey of US civilian noninstitutionalized persons. Benign conditions of interest included: urolithiasis, erectile dysfunction (ED), cystitis, urinary incontinence (UI), and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Generalized linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between mean prescription expenditures and number of prescriptions and race for each condition. Race was categorized as white versus non-white. Adjusted analyses accounted for age, sex, number of chronic conditions, poverty status, self-reported health status, marital status, highest degree of educational attainment, and insurance status. RESULTS: The weighted analysis groups consisted of 4,762,781 persons with urolithiasis, 1,389,547 with ED, 4,643,764 with cystitis, 4,907,138 with UI, and 7,763,307 with BPH. Mean prescription expenditures were greater for white persons for all benign urologic conditions. After adjustment, white race was associated with significantly higher mean prescription expenditures among persons treated for ED (β=1.1, 95% CI: 0.22-1.96) and cystitis (β=0.80, 95% CI: 0.02-1.57). With the exception of ED, mean number of prescriptions was greater for white persons with urolithiasis, cystitis, UI, and BPH. After adjustment, white race was associated with a significantly greater mean number of prescriptions for persons treated for BPH (β=0.24, 95% CI: 0.05-0.44). CONCLUSIONS: Prescription expenditures are significantly higher for persons of white race treated for ED and cystitis in the United States. This may suggest that more costly ED and cystitis medications are prescribed to whites compared to non-whites. Furthermore, the number of BPH prescriptions is greater for whites than non-whites, but expenditures are similar. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e316-e316 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Michael Rezaee More articles by this author Charlotte Ward More articles by this author Martin Gross More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...