ABSTRACT
We examine the relationship between the rationing of health care resources and disparities in health care delivery and the specific implications for radiologic resource allocation frameworks such as the ACR Appropriateness Criteria. We explore what rationing is in this context and how it is manifested in radiology. We review how rationing has taken many forms and how rationing has influenced the development of disparities in access and outcomes within health care and specifically within the context of radiology. We describe how the relationship between rationing and health care delivery disparities manifested during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the corrective measures that were proposed to established rationing frameworks to facilitate more equitable pandemic-related resource distribution. We offer suggestions regarding how such solutions might be brought into radiologic resource allocation schemes to help mitigate disparities in radiologic care in the future.
Subject(s)
Health Care Rationing , Healthcare Disparities , Radiology , COVID-19 , Humans , Practice Guidelines as TopicABSTRACT
Today's female physicians face a "triple whammy" of structural discrimination, rigid work expectations, and increasing educational debt. Coronavirus disease 2019 is disproportionately amplifying these forces on women. The burden of these forces on women, the likely long-term consequences, and some preliminary solutions are discussed.