This report published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines the discrepancies in quality of care among Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on discrepancies based upon race and region.

From the report:

The United States spends more per capita on health care than any other nation in the world, yet patients routinely fail to receive treatments of proven benefit. Too often, care in hospitals, nursing homes and physicians’ offices is uncoordinated, unreliable and unsafe. Too many decisions are made without adequate participation by patients or their family caregivers. While these burdens fall heavily on racial minorities and low-income populations, race and socioeconomic status are not the only factors influencing the health care that patients receive. In the U.S. health care system, it’s not only who you are that matters; it’s also where you get your care. Regardless of race and income, patients receive care of widely varying quality depending upon where they live and the health system that provides their care.

Full Report: Regional and Racial Variation in Primary Care and the Quality of Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries (PDF | 7.15 MB)  

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2010). Regional and racial variation in primary care and the quality of care among Medicare beneficiaries. Goodman, D., Brownlee, S., Change, Ch., and Fisher, E.