Recommended Citation
Best MJ, Fedorka CJ, Belniak RM, Haas DA, Zhang X, Armstrong AD, Abboud JA, Jawa A, O'Donnell EA, Simon JE, Wagner ER, Malik M, Gottschalk MB, Khan AZ, Updegrove GF, Makhni EC, Warner JJ, and Srikumaran U. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Racial Disparities in Patients Undergoing Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in the United States. JSES Int 2022.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-12-2022
Publication Title
JSES Int
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess racial disparities in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) in the US and to determine whether these disparities were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 100% sample was used to examine primary TSA volume from April-December from 2019-2020. Utilization was assessed for White/Black/Hispanic/Asian populations to determine if COVID-19 affected these groups differently. A regression model adjusted for age/sex/CMS-Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC) score, dual enrollment (proxy for socioeconomic status), time fixed effects, and Core-based Statistical Area (CBSA) fixed effects was used to study difference across groups.
RESULTS: In 2019, TSA volume/1000 beneficiaries was 1.51 for White and 0.57 for non-White, a 2.6-fold difference. In 2020, the rate of TSA in White patients (1.30/1000) was 2.9 times higher than non-White (0.45/1000) during the COVID-19 pandemic (P<0.01). There was an overall 14% decrease in TSA volume/1000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2020; non-White patients had a larger percentage decrease in TSA volume than White (21% vs. 14%, estimated difference;8.7%,p = 0.02). Black patients experienced the most pronounced disparity with estimated difference of 10.1%,p = 0.05, compared with White patients. Similar disparities were observed when categorizing procedures into anatomic and reverse TSA, but not proximal humerus fracture.
CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, overall TSA utilization decreased by 14% with White patients experiencing a decrease of 14%, and non-White patients experiencing a decrease of 21%. This trend was observed for elective TSA while disparities were less apparent for proximal humerus fracture.
PubMed ID
36405932
ePublication
ePub ahead of print
