With the notion that inequitable diffusion of new technologies in areas with high socioeconomic status may generate disparities in care, researchers examined the growth of TAVR in the US to understand the characteristics of hospitals with cardiac surgery capabilities that developed TAVR programs and the socioeconomic status of the patients they served. Using Medicare claims data from January 2012 to December 2018, they compared the socioeconomic characteristics of patients treated at hospitals with and without TAVR programs. During the stud period, 98.0% of hospitals that developed new TAVR programs were in metropolitan areas and 52.9% were in metropolitan areas with pre-existing TAVR programs. Hospitals that started TAVR programs treated patients with a higher median household income, and TAVR rates per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries were higher in areas with higher median income, even after adjusting for age and clinical comorbidities.
