Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Actual vs Nearest Delivery Hospitals

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2831848?guestAccessKey=c0957767-f5eb-4d6d-88a4-15c747418b57&utm_term=032125&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_medium=referral&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--hx-j8eAuiGS5FeIR_qZTxtNsyCj1OVtImWNiOmNYE4m6XMYvf6GSwaIHIcaSZSGk3Pu7R5z2LI4NwX1O_KOuo8S1-Dg&_hsmi=353208413&utm_content=tfl&utm_source=for_the_media The closest hospital vs. the one people actually deliver at American Indian and Black birthing people deliver their babies at lower-quality hospitals than white people, a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open found. There was no significant difference in hospital quality between Asian and Hispanic people and white people. The researchers determined that if Black people gave birth at the closest hospital, the disparity in care received would disappear. The findings are based on a cohort study of more than six million people who gave birth at 549 hospitals in five states (Mich., Ore., S.C., Pa., and Calif.) between 2008 and 2020. Overall, Black people lived closer to lower-quality hospitals than white people. But they also lived closer to a better hospital than the one they actually delivered at, the study found. The factors that lead someone to pick one hospital over another are not well-understood, the authors write, but insurance coverage and residential segregation likely play a part. Importantly, they noted that Black people giving birth at their nearest hospital is not “a comprehensive solution to reducing disparities.” More work on maternal mortality disparities is needed.