Michael Bloomberg is wrong – black doctors do not provide better care to blacks than white doctors

On August 6th, a significant event took place for the future generation of black doctors.

However, it also served as a reminder of the divisive and discriminatory ideologies that have infiltrated American medicine.

The commendable aspect of the day was when Michael Bloomberg donated $600 million to four historically black medical schools.

This generous contribution will assist in alleviating the hefty costs associated with medical school, particularly for those with the greatest financial need.

The unfortunate part is that Bloomberg’s donation was based on a falsehood – one that promotes racism and potentially the re-segregation of medicine, even if unintentionally by the former mayor.

The falsehood repeatedly perpetuated by Bloomberg is the belief that “To save more black lives, we need more black doctors.”

This assertion rests on the idea that patients experience better health outcomes when they are treated by doctors of their own race, known as “racial concordance,” a concept that has gained traction in recent years among activists.

Bloomberg hopes that his substantial donation will lead to an increase in black doctors entering the healthcare workforce, providing black patients with more opportunities to receive care from doctors who share their racial background.

However, patient health will not see improvement, and this notion could have detrimental long-term effects on patients of all races.

While there is a kernel of truth in this falsehood, the reality is far more complex.

Various cultural, personal, and economic factors contribute to health disparities among different racial groups.

Advocates of “racial concordance” oversimplify the issue by blaming the disparity in health outcomes on supposed bias from white doctors towards black patients.

This is not only insulting but also baseless, as doctors of all races work diligently to provide care to their patients without regard for race or other characteristics.

There is no credible evidence to support the claim that any group of doctors, whether white or otherwise, is inherently racist towards patients of a different race.

The second part of this false narrative is even more concerning, as studies have shown that racially matching doctors and patients has no significant impact on patient health.

Analysis by Do No Harm has shown that systematic reviews do not demonstrate improved outcomes when patients are matched with physicians of the same race.

Racial concordance does not enhance patient-physician communication, quality of care, frequency of doctor visits, or health outcomes, despite claims made by activists.

By perpetuating this falsehood, medical schools may lower their admission standards under the guise of increasing diversity, leading to a potential decline in the quality of healthcare provided by physicians.

This false narrative also risks encouraging patients of all races to avoid doctors who may be best suited to address their specific medical needs.

Ultimately, promoting the idea that a patient’s health depends on seeing a doctor of the same race could inadvertently contribute to the re-segregation of healthcare, a harmful outcome that must be actively opposed.

While Michael Bloomberg likely did not intend to promote this harmful narrative with his donation, the consequences of perpetuating such falsehoods are significant, potentially undermining equal and quality healthcare for all individuals.

Instead of emphasizing the importance of supporting black medical students, everyone should challenge the dangerous lie that race-based medicine is beneficial.

Stanley Goldfarb, MD, a former associate dean at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, is chairman of Do No Harm.