MEDI 8127 Scholarly Activities Pre-Clerkship

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Spring 4-26-2026

Abstract

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is a predominantly rural, medically underserved border region with high poverty rates, a large uninsured population, and limited access to specialty care. These structural challenges may contribute to delays in diagnosis, treatment initiation, and escalation of care for time-sensitive conditions such as sepsis.

Using hospital-level and patient-level data from 10/01/2023 to 09/30/2024, publicly reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, this study compares healthcare quality metrics between Texas hospitals and those in the RGV. Appropriate care for severe sepsis and septic shock was lower in the RGV (40.2%; 95% CI: 26.6–53.9%) compared to Texas overall (47.9%;95% CI: 44.9–50.8%), with greater variability in RGV estimates. For venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, Texas hospitals averaged 20.6% (95% CI: 16.3–24.9%), while the RGV averaged 7.67% (95% CI: -2.8–18.2%), again showing greater uncertainty in the RGV. Emergency department (ED) throughput was also slower in the RGV; the median ED length of stay was 155.91 minutes (95% CI: 132.0–190.9), compared to 144.91 minutes (95% CI: 139.91–149.91) in Texas.

Overall, the RGV demonstrates lower performance and greater variability across key quality measures. These findings highlight ongoing disparities in healthcare delivery and emphasize the need for targeted interventions to improve timely, evidence-based care in underserved regions.

Academic Level

medical student

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Available for download on Wednesday, April 25, 2029

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