African Americans Are Less Likely to Receive Care by a Cardiologist During an Intensive Care Unit Admission for Heart Failure [1]
Using the Premier healthcare database, the authors analyzed the data of over 100,000 adult patients admitted to an ICU in the U.S. with a primary diagnosis of heart failure from 2010-2014. Hierarchical logistic regression models revealed that the likelihood of care by a cardiologist was 42% higher for white as opposed to black patients with heart failure. Cox regression showed that care by a cardiologist was associated with a 20% higher likelihood of survival.
Question: Is this healthcare disparity a true disparity based on race, or are other confounding and unaccounted for variables responsible?