When it comes to thyroid surgeries, some groups have better access than the others.
In the JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, an article published online on September 4, 2014, shed light on the disparity between economic classes and ethnicity as to their easy access to quality thyroid surgeries.
As part of their research, the team looked into over 65,000 thyroidectomy procedures performed on patients found in NIS (National Inpatient Sample). Years covered were from 2003 to 2009.
Upon their analysis, they discovered that most of the surgeries were for benign conditions, and almost 92% of them were performed by low-volume surgeons. These were professionals who performed less than 100 surgeries annually. Patients who had access to low-volume health care facilities and surgeons are more than likely to develop complications and thus stay much longer in hospitals.
With regard to ethnicity, Hispanics and blacks are more than likely to be patients of low-volume surgeons. Low-volume professionals also tend to work on patients with low income, federal insurance, and Medicare.
Although the researchers are not exactly sure of the reasons for the access difference, they believed that one of the main issues is insurance. They also suggest that reaching out communities by establishing more clinics and educating the public more to help reduce the disparity.
The thyroid gland plays a crucial role in a person's growth and metabolism. However, according to American Thyroid Association's fact sheet, more than 10 million Americans are expected to develop a thyroid-related problem at least once in their lives. These include hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid cancer, from which over 60,000 men and women, usually over 55 years old, are diagnosed yearly. Survival rates are high, especially if the cancer is detected in its early stages.
A thyroid surgery, meanwhile, is one of the typical procedures to correct or eliminate thyroid problem. It can cost as high as $17,000, with separate charges for doctor's fees. On the average, around 140,000 surgeries are performed annually in the United States.
