Race, Quality of Care, and Outcomes of Elderly Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure

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Abstract
Heart failure is a national epidemic, affecting nearly 5 million persons in the United States, with an additional 550 000 diagnosed each year.1 This burden is disproportionately borne by black Americans, who have a higher incidence and prevalence of heart failure than members of other racial groups.1 Despite this greater burden, black patients may receive less intensive and poorer-quality care for heart failure than whites.2-5 Some studies, however, suggest that black patients receive similar quality of care as members of other racial groups.6-10 Because prior studies evaluated patients treated in selected centers or regions6-10 and assessed treatment or utilization patterns and not objective measures of quality of care,3,9,10 it is unclear if reported racial differences reflect shortfalls in care or appropriate treatment or are representative of current national practice patterns. A national evaluation of racial patterns of heart failure care is timely given the efforts under way to redress racial disparities in health care.11

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