Black patients incurred about $1,800 less in medical costs per year than white patients with the same number of chronic conditions; thus the algorithm scored white patients as equally at risk of future health problems as black patients who had many more diseases. ADADIn medicine, there is a long history of black patients facing barriers to accessing care and receiving less effective health care. Studies have found black patients are less likely to receive pain treatment, potentially lifesaving lung cancer surgery or cholesterol-lowering drugs, compared with white patients. Since black patients generally use health care at lower rates, the algorithm was less likely to flag them as likely to use lots of health care in the future. The algorithm would then deepen that disparity by flagging healthier white patients as in need of more intensive care management.

Source: Washington Post October 24, 2019 18:02 UTC