Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain
A study by researchers at George Washington University found that Latino and black family physicians are significantly more likely to participate in the Medicaid program and treat more Medicaid patients than their white and Asian counterparts.
The study, titled “Few Doctors See Some of You: The Critical Role of Family Physicians Underappreciated in Medicine in Caring for Medicaid Patients,” was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
The findings are consistent with other research suggesting that minority physicians are more likely to return to set up practices in communities of color, many of whom suffer from higher-than-average rates of chronic health problems and traditionally have limited access to care.
“Our study suggests that Black and Latino family physicians play a critical role in providing health care to people living in marginalized communities,” said lead author Anushree Bichar, a research fellow at the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at the GW Milken School of Public Health.
“We must redouble our efforts to increase the number of Black and Latino people attending medical school and develop strategies to help other people who are underrepresented in the physician workforce enter and succeed in the profession.”
By linking physician race and ethnicity to national-level claims data, Vichar and her colleagues documented the contributions of Black and Latino family physicians to care in Medicaid communities. The study explores several family physician and practice characteristics that have not been examined by other researchers.
The results suggest that even after accounting for a variety of factors, physician race and ethnicity are correlated with their level of participation in the Medicaid program, a federal-state health insurance program for the poor.
Dr. Bichare said some doctors don’t participate in the program and don’t accept Medicaid patients because payment rates are much lower than private insurance and providers cite Medicaid’s burdensome administrative requirements as a barrier to participation.
Reducing health disparities requires improving access to health care for communities of color, and this study suggests a more diverse family physician workforce could help achieve that goal, she said.
“Creating a more diverse and representative health care workforce not only leads to better health care for all, but is also essential from a social justice perspective,” Bichare said.
“As a society, we must ensure that people who are underrepresented in the medical field have a fair and equal opportunity to pursue a medical degree. It is also essential that we foster an inclusive culture within healthcare institutions that values diversity and promotes the retention and professional growth of diverse staff.”
Further information: “A Few Doctors Will See Some of You: The Critical Role of Underrepresented in Medicine Family Physicians in the Care of Medicaid Patients,” The Annals of Family Medicine (2024). www.annfammed.org/content/22/5/383
Courtesy of George Washington University
Citation: Study Highlights Black and Latino Doctors’ Contribution in Caring for Medicaid Patients (September 23, 2024) Retrieved September 24, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-highlights-contribution-black-latino-doctors.html
This document is subject to copyright. It may not be reproduced without written permission, except for fair dealing for the purposes of personal study or research. The content is provided for informational purposes only.
