The characteristics and performance of hospitals that care for elderly Hispanic Americans

The site of care may play an important role in health care disparities. We examined the 5 percent of U.S. hospitals with the highest proportion of elderly Hispanic patients and found that these hospitals cared for more than half of elderly Hispanics. These hospitals were more often for-profit, with higher rates of Medicaid patients and low nurse-staffing levels. They also provided a modestly lower quality of care for common medical conditions. Our finding that care for Hispanics is concentrated among a small number of hospitals provides an opportunity for targeted efforts to improve care for this group of Americans.