Women with heart disease and diabetes are less likely to receive several types of routine outpatient medical care than men who have similar health problems, according to the report of a RAND Corporation study issued last week. Although previous research has shown that women less frequently receive expensive medical care such as angioplasty for heart disease, few studies have evaluated gender disparities for routine care in managed care settings. The report is published in the May/June issue of Women’s Health Issues.
Researchers studied more than 50,000 men and women enrolled in both commercial and Medicare managed care plans in 1999. The study examined 11 different screening tests, treatments, or measurements of health status shown to be important to all people diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes. All the patients had either private insurance or were enrolled in Medicare managed care plans, had been diagnosed with heart disease and/or diabetes, and had visited healthcare providers to receive care.
Among people enrolled in commercial health plans, women were significantly less likely than men to receive the care evaluated in six of the 11 measures, while women enrolled in the Medicare plans were less likely to receive the care evaluated in four of the 11 measures. Access the report.
