The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial disparities in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty in the United States.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to assess racial disparities in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) in the United States 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 to December from 2019 to 2020. Utilization was assessed for White, Black, Hispanic, and 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 fixed effects was used to study difference across groups.

RESULTS

In 2019, the TSA volume per 1000 beneficiaries was 1.51 for White and 0.57 for non-White, with 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 ( < .01). There was an overall 14% decrease in TSA volume per 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%,  = .02). Black patients experienced the most pronounced disparity with estimated difference of 10.1%,  = .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.