2022

“'The term 'avoidable ED visits' suggests that there is an appropriate and alternative place to care for people who have medical needs,' Renee Hsia, MD, MSci, professor of emergency medicine and health policy at the University of California at San Francisco said. 

'ED visits in and of themselves are not a problem. We have EDs to help patients with life and limb-threatning conditions, and to be a source of emergency medical care. There are some conditions that are better treated in other settings, and our healthcare system needs to be incentivized to make these settings more available to patients.'"

— Covered in American Journal of Managed Care, Dec 13, 2022.

"The study defined timely treatment as receiving care for a heart attack within 3 days of admission to a hospital. Women and people of color were found to wait 3 days or more to receive care than their White male counterparts. 

A disparity of this sort can cause ripples of health effects across society, ripples that doctors should be aware of."

— Covered in MD Edge, Jul 5, 2022.

“'Black, racially segregated communities tended to cluster in areas with large populations, where stroke care must accommodate a much higher level of demand.

'Crowding may prevent patients from accessing the stroke center, and even if they do access it, they may not be able to be seen as quickly due to shortages of beds, critical care physicians, nurses and equipment.'"

— Covered in Yahoo News, Jun 27, 2022.

“'We found that for many in low-income, minority, and rural communities, specialized stroke services are not even an option,' said Hsia.

'Policymakers may want to consider how they can reduce financial barriers for hospitals in these communities where certified stroke centers are needed.'"

— Covered in UCSF, Jun 27, 2022.

“'People tend to think about racism on an individual level, but in our healthcare system, it can be quite insidious and not evident on the surface,' Hsia told MedPage Today.

'Currently, the distribution of stroke care in the country is more motivated by profit potential, rather than community need.'"

— Covered in MedPage Today, Jun 27, 2022.