Investigating racial disparities in bariatric surgery referrals

Prior studies investigating racial, socioeconomic, and/or insurance disparities with regard to access to care and outcomes in bariatric surgery have been performed with varying results.

Our aim was to determine if racial or ethnic disparities exist in referral patterns for bariatric surgery at a single center.

An institutional, retrospective chart review from January 2012 through June 2017 was performed for patients meeting referral criteria to bariatric surgery. Data collection was limited to patients referred to the bariatric surgery clinic from on-site primary care clinics.

In total, 4736 patients were eligible for bariatric surgery during the study period. Patients were 63.8% female (n = 3022), and 36.2% male (n = 1714); 53.9% white (n = 2553), 37.8% black (n = 1790), and 8.3% Hispanic (n = 393). Female patients were more likely to be referred than male patients (5.5% versus 4.1%, χ² 4.59, P = .032). On univariate comparison, Hispanic patients were less likely to be referred compared with black or white patients (2.0% versus 5.3% and 5.2%, χ² 7.88, P = .019).

Hispanic patients were less likely to be referred at our institution for bariatric surgery compared with white or black patients. A barrier to referral may be explained by the disproportionate number of Hispanic patients that were designated as "self-pay" rather than private insurance or Medicaid/Medicare coverage that is required for bariatric surgery referral. This finding underscores the need for further research surrounding barriers to access to care for Hispanic patients.