Center for Gerontology & Healthcare Research

Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez co-authored an article published in the Journal of Alzheimer & Dementia regarding the association between delay in initiation of home health services with race and ethnicity and home health quality ratings for Medicare beneficiaries with dementia. They found that among 262,525 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia, black patients with dementia were more likely to experience delay in home health services initiation. Furthermore, black patients receiving care in home health agencies with lower star ratings experienced a higher likelihood of delayed services. These disparities may be driven by structural inequality and lack of access to high-quality services among black patients. Our results suggest that increasing access to high-quality agencies among racial and ethnic groups with ADRD may be a first step in reducing these disparities and improving access to timely initiation of home health services.

Dr. Maricruz Rivera-Hernandez was awarded the Early Stages Disparities Investigator Award at the 2020 Academy Health Virtual Meeting.