Essays on Health Care Quality and Access
Subtitle: Cancer Care Disparities, Composite Measure Development, and Geographic Variations in Electronic Health Record Adoption
Contributors: McGuire, Thomas G.; McGuire, Thomas G.; Keating, Nancy K.; Zaslavsky, Alan M.
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Description: Racial/ethnic disparities in cancer care are well documented in the research literature; however, less is known about the extent and potential source of cancer care disparities in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). In my first paper, I use logistic regression and hospital fixed effects models to examine racial disparities in 20 cancer-related quality measures and the extent to which racial differences in site of care explain VA cancer care disparities. I found evidence of racial disparities in 7 out of 20 cancer-related quality measures. In general, these disparities were primarily driven by racial differences in care for black and white patients within the same VA hospital, rather than racial differences in site of care.
Notes: Keywords: cancer care, disparities, electronic health records, health information technology, quality measurement, veterans health.

Thesis Ph.D. Harvard University 2014