APP Master Sessions-Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Neurosurgery: Neutralizing Bias in Trauma Care?

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Neurosurgery: Neutralizing Bias in Trauma Care?

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video features Robert Bynum, a PGY-6 at the University of Arizona, discussing the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on trauma patients. Bynum cites several studies showing a bias in the treatment of uninsured patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), including decreased rates of discharge to rehab, higher mortality, and decreased utilization of CT head scans. To investigate if the PPACA has reduced this bias, Bynum analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample. The results showed that the number of uninsured patients has decreased since the introduction of the PPACA, but uninsured patients with severe TBI are still less likely to undergo surgery and have higher inpatient mortality rates compared to insured patients. The study acknowledges limitations of relying on administrative data without detailed hospital-level information.

Keywords

Robert Bynum

PGY-6

University of Arizona

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

trauma patients