Are Hispanic patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage treated differently in border states than in nonborder states?

OBJECTIVE Recent studies have found an underutilization of in-hospital procedures in treatments of Hispanic patients admitted with coronary artery disease in states along the US-Mexico border ("border states"). The purpose of this study was to determine any treatment disparities between patients treated for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in border and nonborder states and whether this disparity was associated with differential hospital charges. METHODS Using the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample, the authors retrieved data of Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients who were admitted in 2011 for SAH in a border state (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) or nonborder state (the remaining 46 US states). The authors determined the rates of use of endovascular coiling and surgical clipping treatments, hospital charges, and outcomes according to the patients' demographics and treatment in border or nonborder states. RESULTS In total, 18,368 patients were admitted with SAH in the selected time period, including 2310 Hispanic patients (12.6%). Of these patients, 1525 were admitted in a border state and 785 in a nonborder state. In border states, rates of surgical treatment significantly differed between patients of Hispanic (21.9%) and non-Hispanic (14.0%) origin (p = 0.02). In particular, Hispanic patients were more likely to undergo surgical clipping than were non-Hispanic patients. In the nonborder states, the rates of surgical treatment were similar for Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients (14.0% vs 15.6%, p = 0.6). Hispanic patients with SAH were billed significantly higher in-hospital charges in border states than in nonborder states ($219,260 and $192,418 [US dollars], respectively, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Use of surgical treatments for Hispanic patients with SAH residing in border states has a unique pattern, which significantly increases in-hospital charges in this patient population.