VA Study Finds Black Patients Have 24% Lower Adjusted Mortality Rate Than White Patients
In the general population, black patients have higher mortality rates than white patients, a trend that often is attributed to socioeconomic differences and access issues. A new study published in the journal Circulation sought to examine how patients fared when they received the same care. The analysis of 3.1 million Department of Veterans Affairs patients found that the adjusted mortality rate for black patients was 24% lower than that of white patients. In addition, black men and women were 37% less likely than white men to develop heart disease.
- "Black Patients Fare Better Than Whites When Both Get Same Health Care, Study Finds" (Zarembo, "Science Now," Los Angeles Times, 9/24).