Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA.
Rush University Medical Center, Division of Cardiology, Chicago, IL, USA.
J Cardiovasc Comput Tomogr. 2022 Mar-Apr;16(2):182-185. doi: 10.1016/j.jcct.2021.10.003. Epub 2021 Oct 15.
IMPORTANCE: Chicago is one of the most racially segregated cities in the US, with the largest mortality gap between neighborhoods. Computed tomographic coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) is an excellent risk stratification tool, but costs about $200 out-of-pocket, making it inaccessible to some. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether this ACC/AHA guideline-recommended screening tool is accessible to all populations and neighborhoods, we evaluated the price and availability of CACS in Chicago area hospitals. DESIGN: We used the Illinois Department of Public Health list of area hospitals to inquire about CACS availability and price. We compared these results to US Census Bureau data for each hospital's service area's demographic, ethnic and socioeconomic population characteristics. RESULTS: Out of the 40 hospitals in Chicagoland, 30 offered CACS. The 10 hospitals without CACS were smaller hospitals in zip codes with a higher population density (p < 0.01), higher poverty rates (22% vs. 13%, p < 0.01), lower percentage of white population (p < 0.02), lower frequency of higher education (35% vs. 51%, p < 0.05), and a trend toward more black residents (p < 0.10). Life expectancy was greater in areas with CACS available (78 vs. 75 years, p < 0.05). Even in areas with CACS, there was wide price variation, with higher prices in poorer areas (r = 0.57, p < 0.01). The highest vs. lowest quintile of income had higher education, larger white population (80% vs. 14%, p < 0.0001), and longer life expectancy (81 vs. 72 years, p < 0.0002), but tended to have a lower price of CACS ($86 vs. $487, p < 0.08). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: CACS is a powerful, evidenced-based clinical tool, but the availability and price vary widely in Chicagoland, and directly correlate with the socioeconomic and health care disparities that are known to exist. Removing these barriers to coronary artery disease screening may be one method to improve the poor cardiovascular outcomes in these areas.
重要性:芝加哥是美国种族隔离最严重的城市之一,邻里之间的死亡率差距最大。计算机断层扫描冠状动脉钙评分(CACS)是一种出色的风险分层工具,但自付费用约 200 美元,因此一些人无法获得。 目的:为了确定这种 ACC/AHA 指南推荐的筛查工具是否适用于所有人群和社区,我们评估了芝加哥地区医院 CACS 的价格和可用性。 设计:我们使用伊利诺伊州公共卫生部的地区医院名单查询 CACS 的可用性和价格。我们将这些结果与美国人口普查局每个医院服务区域的人口统计、族裔和社会经济人口特征的数据进行了比较。 结果:在芝加哥地区的 40 家医院中,有 30 家提供 CACS。10 家没有 CACS 的医院是邮政编码人口密度较高(p<0.01)、贫困率较高(22%比 13%,p<0.01)、白人人口比例较低(p<0.02)、高等教育频率较低(35%比 51%,p<0.05)、黑人居民比例呈上升趋势(p<0.10)的医院。有 CACS 的地区预期寿命更长(78 比 75 年,p<0.05)。即使在有 CACS 的地区,价格也存在很大差异,贫困地区的价格更高(r=0.57,p<0.01)。收入最高与最低五分位数的人群具有较高的教育程度、更大的白人人口(80%比 14%,p<0.0001)和更长的预期寿命(81 比 72 年,p<0.0002),但 CACS 的价格较低(86 美元比 487 美元,p<0.08)。 结论和相关性:CACS 是一种强大的、基于证据的临床工具,但在芝加哥地区的可用性和价格差异很大,并且与已知存在的社会经济和医疗保健差距直接相关。消除这些冠心病筛查障碍可能是改善这些地区心血管不良结局的一种方法。
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