Abstract 11549: Neighborhood Racial Segregation and Access to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries

Abstract

Introduction: Lower rates of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) among Black individuals have been observed, the drivers of this disparity remain poorly understood. We studied the association between county-level racial segregation and rates of aortic stenosis (AS) diagnosis and management. Methods: We identified Black and white Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries living in metropolitan areas between 2016 and 2019. Using the American Community Survey’s residential segregation index (SI), a measure of geographic distribution of Black and white residents ranging from 0 (complete integration) to 100 (complete segregation), we determined segregation in each beneficiaries’ county of residence. We calculated population-level rates of AS diagnosis and TAVI using validated ICD-10 codes. Using hierarchical modeling, we determined the association between racial segregation and rates of AS diagnosis, TAVI receipt, and 30-day mortality. Results: A total of 29,264,075 beneficiaries were included in the analysis. Living in a high-segregation county (SI>60) was associated with increased rates of AS diagnosis overall (adjusted OR 1.03 95%CI 1.02-1.03) but no difference in TAVI. However, among Black beneficiaries, increasing county-level segregation was associated with decreased rates of AS diagnosis and TAVI; the opposite association was observed among white beneficiaries ( Figure 1 ). Among those with an AS diagnosis, the interaction between Black race and segregation, and lower rates of TAVI persisted (interaction p-value 0.003). Segregation and race were not independently associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions: Living in a high-segregation county is independently associated with decreased population-level rates of AS diagnosis and receipt of TAVI for Black, but not white, individuals. Among Black people living in high-segregation counties, disparities in TAVI rates are associated with decreased AS diagnosis and access to TAVI.