A new study finds that socioeconomic factors are likely to contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, authored the study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Lewis and his colleagues conducted a retrospective study using commercial insurance and Medicare data (2016–2017) to examine health care utilization in IBD patients across age, racial, and ethnic groups.
They found that Black working-age adults had higher ED visits, hospitalizations, and steroid use compared to white adults—differences that lessened after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Additionally, Asian and Hispanic patients were less likely to receive outpatient gastroenterological care or medical therapy.
In an interview with Healio, Lewis emphasized the need for further research, noting that the study excluded Medicaid, VA, and uninsured populations.
Despite the substantial improvements in treatment options for patients with IBD, this study and others demonstrate important variability in diagnosis and treatment patterns… We as clinicians need to provide the best possible care to our patients without preconceived ideas regarding what a specific patient might desire or be able to afford, while also being cognizant of social issues that could be important to a patient’s decision-making.