What types of missed opportunities were found among racial, ethnic and income groups?
Dr. Clancy: The variations that we saw are particularly striking in the area of prevention. For example, obese blacks are even less likely to be told that they were overweight by their doctor or other health care clinician. Colorectal cancer screening rates are significantly lower for blacks and Asians compared to whites. Among people 65 and older, blacks, Hispanics, and those in lower income groups were less likely to have ever received a vaccine against pneumonia. There are many, many other examples in the reports. Rand: Any other comments about the reports? Dr. Clancy: The good news is that overall quality continues to improve. We need to accelerate much more than we’ve been doing in the past few years. The news from hospitals looks good, but we still haven’t closed the gap between best possible care and the care that Americans receive routinely. We know that when we do improve quality, everyone benefits – the professionals who provide care, the insurers who help pay for it, and the
