Differential access to specialty surgical care can drive health care disparities, and interhospital transfer (IHT) is one mechanism through which access barriers can be realized for vulnerable populations. The association between race/ethnicity and IHT for patients presenting with complex emergency general surgery (EGS) disease is understudied.

Using the 2019 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, we identified patients 18 years and older with 1 of 13 complex EGS diseases based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, diagnosis codes. The primary outcome was IHT. A series of weighted logistic regression models was created to determine the association of race/ethnicity with the primary outcome while controlling for patient and hospital characteristics.

Of 387,610 weighted patient encounters from 989 hospitals, 59,395 patients (15.3%) underwent IHT. Compared with non-Hispanic White patients, rates of IHT were significantly lower for non-Hispanic Black (15% vs. 17%; unadjusted odds ratio (uOR) [95% confidence interval (CI)], 0.58 [0.49–0.68]; p < 0.001), Hispanic/Latinx (HL) (9.0% vs. 17%; uOR [95% CI], 0.48 [0.43–0.54]; p < 0.001), Asian/Pacific Islander (Asian/PI) (11% vs. 17%; uOR [95% CI], 0.84 [0.78–0.91]; p < 0.001), and other race/ethnicity (12% vs. 17%; uOR [95% CI], 0.68 [0.57–0.81]; p < 0.001) patients. In multivariable models, the adjusted odds of IHT remained significantly lower for HL (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 0.76 [0.72–0.83]; p < 0.001) and Asian/PI patients (adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 0.73 [0.62–0.86]; p < 0.001) but not for non-Hispanic Black and other race/ethnicity patients (p > 0.05).

In a nationally representative sample of emergency departments across the United States, patients of minority race/ethnicity presenting with complex EGS disease were less likely to undergo IHT when compared with non-Hispanic White patients. Disparities persisted for HL and Asian/PI patients when controlling for comorbid conditions, hospital and residential geography, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and insurance; these patients may face unique barriers in accessing surgical care.

Prognostic and Epidemiologic; Level III.