Disparities in the American Healthcare System
Plaintiff’s trial lawyers are hired to fight a battle that their clients are ill-equipped to fight on their own. But unintentionally, they are just a part of the crushing wheel that hides the truth about the healthcare system’s attack on black America. At MedMalFirm.com, we are going to do what we can to change that by collecting the data, studies, and experiences that show how truly unequal our healthcare system is. We will show that there are truly disparities in the American healthcare system.
Healthcare disparities exist. The cause of those disparities can be labeled as economic, social, or implicit bias, but in the end they all lead inexorably to worse healthcare for men and women of color in the United States.
When those disparities lead to negligent care that hurts a patient, plaintiff’s trial lawyers can get involved. In many ways, the trial lawyer is an equalizer. Generally, familiar with the system and well-funded, trial lawyers can go toe-to-toe with large healthcare systems on the side of injured patients and their families.
Most of the time, these cases end in a settlement. That is, the defendant healthcare provider and the patient come to a private agreement to resolve the dispute and a payment is made by the healthcare provider to the injured patient.
But that settlement agreement almost invariably contains a confidentiality provision. That provision, simply assumed by trial lawyers, prevents the patient from telling their story, often without separate consideration.
So, when a mom’s baby dies at birth because the doctor refuses to show up despite the nurses’ and husband’s pleas amid an allegation of racism, no one hears about it. When a nursing home resident dies from a lack of care, the family must remain silent. When a woman is forcibly raped by another patient, the family is put to the false choice of telling their story or settling their case. These are real events that impacted real families.
And those are the only details that can be provided because of the confidentiality provisions in settlement agreements. The stories are hidden. The guilty parties remain protected from scrutiny.
But more concerning, the racial roots of malpractice remain obscured. The trial lawyer is a willing and unintentional conspirator. At MedMalFirm.com, we have decided to become a part of the solution. As medical lawyers, we are experienced at critical research and collecting data. So we are going to do what we do best. On this page, we are going to continually gather data and make it easy and available for others to find and use.
We ask that you hold us accountable. We intend on updating this page at least once per month with new information. At the top of this page you will see an edit date. If that date is over one month old, reach out to me. I will solve the problem.
Literature
At MedMalFirm.com, we believe that everyone should have access to information about healthcare. That includes racial and ethnic disparities in the American healthcare system. To that end, we have compiled a selection of research studies, academic literature and literature reviews that explain the true nature of disparities in healthcare.
Links to Online Resources
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- AHRQ Disparities Reports by State
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC Health Equity Resources
- Mental Health America
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- RWJF Health Equity Information
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
- American Psychological Association
- National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- American Lung Association
- New York Times – The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequality of Coronavirus
- Harvard Business Review
- Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)
Resources for Specific Healthcare Disparities
- Disparities in Oral Health
- Disparities in Cancer Health
- Disparities in Eye Health
- Tuberculosis Disparities
- Disparities in Stroke Care
- Disparities in Cervical Cancer Care
- Disparities in Prenatal Care
- COVID-19 in Pregnancy
- COVID-19 Hospitalizations
- COVID-19 Disproportionately Affecting People of Color
- Racial Disparities in HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in Men
- Disparities in Acute Pain Management in ER’s
- Healthcare Disparities in Sickle Cell Disease
- Disparities in Women’s Health
- Racial Inequalities in Postpartum Pain Evaluation and Management
- Disparities in End-of-Life Hospice Care
Links to News Sources
- https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/pandemic-widened-existing-heath-disparities-across-us/4WIERDDXCBHODCB32AXXAKVEZM/
- https://abc7chicago.com/out-america-living-while-black-abc-docuseries-maternal-care-mothers/7160537/
- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/coronavirus-deaths-us-race-black-white-asian-latino-racism-a9544401.html
- https://www.biotechniques.com/coronavirus-news/opinion_why-are-black-people-more-likely-to-die-of-covid-19-in-the-us-and-uk/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/brittanychambers/2020/06/15/one-researchers-reflection-on-novel-virus-driven-disparities-in-black-maternal-healthcare/#41a4571013fc
- https://patientengagementhit.com/news/addressing-provider-bias-key-for-maternal-health-disparities
- https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/06/15/what-is-health-inequity-and-how-does-it-affect-minorities-during-a-pandemic/
- https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/09/systemic-racism-black-health-disparities/
- https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/industry-voices-providers-should-know-these-research-backed-steps-to-addressing-racial
- https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/study-finds-age-race-disparities-hospital-patient-portal-use
- https://abcnews.go.com/Health/coronavirus-updates-us-records-52000-cases-single-day/story?id=72207815
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/we-all-bleed-the-same-color-why-do-black-women-in-the-uk-experience-disparities-in-gynecological-care
- https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/racial-disparities-in-healthcare-taking-center-stage-on-capitol-hill/275-eeaf5dd5-b6c1-4fe9-9473-fc9e1d1ee533
- https://wxow.com/2020/08/24/digging-deeper-racial-healthcare-disparities-highlighted-by-coronavirus/
- https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/study-black-patients-more-likely-white-patients-use-telehealth-because-pandemic
- https://www.modernhealthcare.com/safety-quality/healthcare-leadership-lacks-racial-diversity-needed-reduce-health-disparities
- https://www.icd10monitor.com/what-covid-revealed-about-healthcare-disparities
- https://healthpayerintelligence.com/news/medicaid-expansion-produces-mixed-results-on-health-disparities
- https://patientengagementhit.com/news/telehealth-care-access-yields-a-health-disparities-amid-covid-19
- https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/pandemic-spotlights-health-disparities-facing-minority-communities/WJRA4MB7QNGY3JDPPHIHCRAPPQ/
Meagan Cline is a professional legal researcher and writer. She works alongside the team at MedMalFirm.com to provide readers with up-to-date information relevant to the healthcare and legal industries.