TUESDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In New York City, minority patients are significantly less likely than Caucasians to use high-volume surgeons and hospitals when undergoing procedures with an established volume-mortality association, according to a study in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.

Andrew J. Epstein, Ph.D., of Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and colleagues analyzed 2001 to 2004 New York City area hospital discharge data on 133,821 patients who underwent surgery for cancer (breast, colorectal, gastric, lung, or pancreatic resection), cardiovascular disease (coronary artery bypass graft, coronary angioplasty, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, or carotid endarterectomy), or orthopedic conditions (total hip replacement).

The researchers found that African-American patients were less likely than Caucasians to be operated on by a high-volume surgeon at a high-volume hospital, and more likely to be operated on by a low-volume surgeon at a low-volume hospital for nine of the 10 surgeries. They also found that Asian and Hispanic patients were less likely to operated on by a high-volume surgeon at a high-volume hospital for five and four of the surgeries, respectively, and more likely to be operated on by a low-volume surgeon at a low-volume hospital for three and five of the surgeries, respectively.

"In addition to efforts to improve the quality of care among providers serving minority patients, policymakers and clinicians may be able to improve outcomes by encouraging minority patients and their surrogates to consider comparative performance information when choosing hospitals and surgeons," the authors conclude.

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