Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Home Health Care: Charting a Course for Future Research

Abstract

Racial/ethnic disparities in health have been well-documented. However, we know little about the existence of or mechanisms that contribute to disparities in home health care. This article proposes a conceptual framework, based on a comprehensive review of the literature, to guide research to understand whether and how disparities emerge in home health care. The framework outlines the patient, agency, practice, and system factors that have been shown to or theoretically could contribute to disparities. Enhanced parity in home health care will impact society by reducing health costs due to morbidity, while directly benefiting minority patients.

Keywords:

• conceptual framework
• home health care
• Medicare
• racial/ethnic disparities

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the following organizations that provided support for this research: The John A. Hartford Foundation, the National Institute on Aging, and the University of Pennsylvania MARCH Center.