Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations

Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations

A health algorithm that uses health costs as a proxy for health needs leads to racial bias against Black patients.

Research article examining racial bias in health algorithms. The research shows that a widely used algorithm, which affects millions of patients, exhibits a significant racial bias. There is evidence that Black patients, who are assigned the same level of risk as white patients by the algorithm, are actually much sicker. This racial discrimination is reducing the number of Black patients identified for extra care by more than half.