Racial Disparities in Clinical and Economic Outcomes From Thyroidectomy

CONTEXT: Thyroid disease is common, and thyroidectomy is a mainstay of treatment for many benign and malignant thyroid conditions. Overall, thyroidectomy is associated with favorable outcomes, particularly if experienced surgeons perform it. OBJECTIVE: To examine racial differences in clinical and economic outcomes of patients undergoing thyroidectomy in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS: The nationwide inpatient sample was used to identify thyroidectomy admissions from 1999 to 2004, using ICD-9 procedure codes. Race and other clinical and demographic characteristics of patients were collected along with surgeon volume and hospital characteristics to predict outcomes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Inpatient mortality, complication rates, length of stay (LOS), discharge status, and mean total costs by racial group. RESULTS: In 2003-2004, 16,878 patients underwent thyroid procedures; 71% were white, 14% black, 9% Hispanic, and 6% other. Mean LOS was longer for blacks (2.5 days) than for whites (1.8 days, P 100 cases per year) performed 5% of thyroidectomies, but 90% of their patients were white (P < 0.001). Racial disparities in outcomes persist after adjustment for surgeon volume group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that, although thyroidectomy is considered safe, significant racial disparities exist in clinical and economic outcomes. In part, inequalities result from racial differences in access to experienced surgeons; more data are needed with regard to racial differences in thyroid biology and surveillance to explain the balance of observed disparities.