Disease Outcomes
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care; Editors: Brian D. Smedley, Adrienne Y. Stith, and Alan R. Nelson. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2003.
Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2003
In 1999, Congress requested an IOM study to assess the extent of disparities in the types and quality of health services received by U.S. racial and ethnic minorities and non-minorities; explore factors that may contribute to inequities in care; and recommend policies and practices to eliminate these inequities.
The report from that study, Unequal Treatment, found a consistent body of research that shows significant variation in the rates of medical procedures by race, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable. This research indicates that U.S. racial and ethnic minorities experience a lower quality of health services, and are less likely to receive even routine medical procedures.