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Despite incredible growth in systems of care and rapidly expanding therapeutic options for people with inflammatory bowel disease, there are significant barriers that prevent patients from benefiting from these advances. These barriers include restrictions in the form of prior authorization, step therapy, and prescription drug coverage. Furthermore, inadequate use of multidisciplinary care and inflammatory bowel disease specialists limits patient access to high-quality care, particularly for medically vulnerable populations. However, there are opportunities to improve access to high-quality, patient-centered care. This position statement outlines the policy and advocacy goals that the American Gastroenterological Association will prioritize for collaborative efforts with patients, providers, and payors., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: As the urgent care landscape evolves, specialized musculoskeletal urgent care centers (MUCCs) are becoming more prevalent. MUCCs have been offered as a convenient, cost-effective option for timely acute orthopaedic care. However, a recent "secret-shopper" study on patient access to MUCCs in Connecticut demonstrated that patients with Medicaid had limited access to these orthopaedic-specific urgent care centers. To investigate how generalizable these regional findings are to the United States, we conducted a nationwide secret-shopper study of MUCCs to identify determinants of patient access., Questions/purposes: (1) What proportion of MUCCs in the United States provide access for patients with Medicaid insurance? (2) What factors are associated with MUCCs providing access for patients with Medicaid insurance? (3) What barriers exist for patients seeking care at MUCCs?, Methods: An online search of all MUCCs across the United States was conducted in this cross-sectional study. Three separate search modalities were used to gather a complete list. Of the 565 identified, 558 were contacted by phone with investigators posing over the telephone as simulated patients seeking treatment for a sprained ankle. Thirty-nine percent (216 of 558) of centers were located in the South, 13% (71 of 558) in the West, 25% (138 of 558) in the Midwest, and 24% (133 of 558) in New England. This study was given an exemption waiver by our institution's IRB. MUCCs were contacted using a standardized script to assess acceptance of Medicaid insurance and identify barriers to care. Question 1 was answered through determining the percentage of MUCCs that accepted Medicaid insurance. Question 2 considered whether there was an association between Medicaid acceptance and factors such as Medicaid physician reimbursements or MUCC center type. Question 3 sought to characterize the prevalence of any other means of limiting access for Medicaid patients, including requiring a referral for a visit and disallowing continuity of care at that MUCC., Results: Of the MUCCs contacted, 58% (323 of 558) accepted Medicaid insurance. In 16 states, the proportion of MUCCs that accepted Medicaid was equal to or less than 50%. In 22 states, all MUCCs surveyed accepted Medicaid insurance. Academic-affiliated MUCCs accepted Medicaid patients at a higher proportion than centers owned by private practices (odds ratio 14 [95% CI 4.2 to 44]; p < 0.001). States with higher Medicaid physician reimbursements saw proportional increases in the percentage of MUCCs that accepted Medicaid insurance under multivariable analysis (OR 36 [95% CI 14 to 99]; p < 0.001). Barriers to care for Medicaid patients characterized included location restriction and primary care physician referral requirements., Conclusion: It is clear that musculoskeletal urgent care at these centers is inaccessible to a large segment of the Medicaid-insured population. This inaccessibility seems to be related to state Medicaid physician fee schedules and a center's affiliation with a private orthopaedic practice, indicating how underlying financial pressures influence private practice policies. Ultimately, the refusal of Medicaid by MUCCs may lead to disparities in which patients with private insurance are cared for at MUCCs, while those with Medicaid may experience delays in care. Going forward, there are three main options to tackle this issue: increasing Medicaid physician reimbursement to provide a financial incentive, establishing stricter standards for MUCCs to operate at the state level, or streamlining administration to reduce costs overall. Further research will be necessary to evaluate which policy intervention will be most effective., Level of Evidence: Level II, prognostic study., Competing Interests: Each author certifies that there are no funding or commercial associations (consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article related to the author or any immediate family members. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request., (Copyright © 2021 by the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.)

Lack of health insurance coverage is strongly associated with poor cancer outcomes in the United States. The uninsured are less likely to have access to timely and effective cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care than their counterparts with health insurance coverage. On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law, representing the largest change to health care delivery in the United States since the introduction of the Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965. The primary goals of the ACA are to improve health insurance coverage, the quality of care, and patient outcomes, and to maintain or lower costs by catalyzing changes in the health care delivery system. In this review, we describe the main components of the ACA, including health insurance expansions, coverage reforms, and delivery system reforms, provisions within these components, and their relevance to cancer screening and early detection, care, and outcomes. We then highlight selected, well-designed studies examining the effects of the ACA provisions on coverage, access to cancer care, and disparities throughout the cancer control continuum. Finally, we identify research gaps to inform evaluation of current and emerging health policies related to cancer outcomes., (© 2020 American Cancer Society.)

The article examines the effect of religious or secular hospital mergers on patients' access to health services in the U.S. Patients are losing access to many reproductive health services when their local secular hospitals merge with nearby religiously-affiliated facilities that object to those services on ethical grounds. Services banned by the merged entity may include contraception, abortions, sterilizations, in vitro fertilization, emergency contraception for rape victims, and the discussion of condom use as part of HIV prevention counseling. Formerly secular hospitals and nursing homes also restrict end-of-life choices. Recommendations to the American Public Health Association are presented.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the prenatal care experience, specifically regarding medical appointments and social opportunities. It is critical to capture this change through the narratives of pregnant people, particularly those of marginalized populations, whose voices may often be underrepresented in the literature. This mixed-methods paper summarizes the experiences of 40 pregnant Black/African American (AA) women during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional, online survey was administered between 2020 and 2021 to assess prenatal health and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients' pregnancy experience. Coping behaviors during the pandemic were self-reported using the COPE-IS. Univariate analyses were conducted. An additional analysis of participants (n = 4) was explored through a week-long qualitative exercise using a photo documentation procedure. Photo-Elicitation Interviews (PEI) were conducted to capture and center their pandemic pregnancy experiences. Sources of stress during the pandemic varied, with the most common being financial concerns (n = 19, 47.5%). Over half of the sample (n = 18, 54.5%) self-reported increases in their positive coping behaviors during the pandemic, such as communicating with friends and family, talking to healthcare providers, listening to music, and engaging in spiritual practices–such as prayer. The four PEI study participants reflected on the impacts of social distancing on their prenatal experience and mentioned hospital and provider-related weariness due to their race. The findings of this study suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Black/AA pregnant women in Charlotte, NC used social support, mindfulness practices, self-advocacy, and health literacy to navigate challenges present during their prenatal health experience. This paper highlights the personal, social, and structural experiences of pregnant women during a public health crisis so that responsive and effective programs or policies can be planned in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic and geographical inequalities in breast cancer mortality have been widely described in European countries and the United States. To investigate the combined effects of geographic access and socio-economic characteristics on breast cancer outcomes, a systematic review was conducted exploring the relationships between: (i) geographic access to healthcare facilities (oncology services, mammography screening), defined as travel time and/or travel distance; (ii) breast cancer-related outcomes (mammography screening, stage of cancer at diagnosis, type of treatment and rate of mortality); (iii) socioeconomic status (SES) at individuals and residential context levels. In total, n = 25 studies (29 relationships tested) were included in our systematic review. The four main results are: The statistical significance of the relationship between geographic access and breast cancer-related outcomes is heterogeneous: 15 were identified as significant and 14 as non-significant. Women with better geographic access to healthcare facilities had a statistically significant fewer mastectomy (n = 4/6) than women with poorer geographic access. The relationship with the stage of the cancer is more balanced (n = 8/17) and the relationship with cancer screening rate is not observed (n = 1/4). The type of measures of geographic access (distance, time or geographical capacity) does not seem to have any influence on the results. For example, studies which compared two different measures (travel distance and travel time) of geographic access obtained similar results. The relationship between SES characteristics and breast cancer-related outcomes is significant for several variables: at individual level, age and health insurance status; at contextual level, poverty rate and deprivation index. Of the 25 papers included in the review, the large majority (n = 24) tested the independent effect of geographic access. Only one study explored the combined effect of geographic access to breast cancer facilities and SES characteristics by developing stratified models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adolescent access to quality healthcare is key to prevention and early intervention for health risk behaviors. This paper provides a healthcare provider perspective on barriers and facilitators to youth accessing care., Methods: Five focus groups were conducted from November to December 2020 with providers from a variety of healthcare settings. Participants were asked to describe their respective adolescent patient populations, adolescent-specific health concerns, and organizational accommodations specific for youth services. Transcripts were analyzed using Inductive Thematic Analysis and themes were grouped using a social-ecological framework., Results: At an individual level, providers noted that an adolescent's knowledge and ability to navigate services varied greatly across settings. Providers identified provider trust and parent/guardian support as key interpersonal factors that support adolescents' access to services. Organizational factors included bureaucratic barriers and the clinic's reputation among youth. Community factors centered on mistrust within healthcare systems and stigmatization of seeking certain types of services. Participants also described how state-level policies influence parent/guardian consent requirements, which can limit adolescents' access to care., Conclusion: Adolescent access to and utilization of healthcare in the United States is a complex problem requiring systems-level change. Healthcare organizations and providers have the opportunity and capacity to positively influence adolescents' healthcare access and experiences, however a lack of standardized, clinic-level priorities and guidelines can limit adolescent-centered care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Executive Summary: Millions of Venezuelans have fled their country in hopes for a better future outside the political and financial turmoil in their home country. This paper examines the self-reported needs of Venezuelans in the United States and Colombia. Specifically, it looks at perceived discrimination in each country and its effect on the service needs of Venezuelan immigrants. The authors used data from a larger project conducted in October to November 2017 to perform a qualitative content analysis on the specific services that participants and others like them would need following immigration. The sample consisted of 647 Venezuelan immigrant adults who had migrated to the United States (n = 342) or Colombia (n = 305). Its findings indicate statistically significant differences between the two countries. Venezuelan immigrants in the United States were more likely to identity mental health and educational service needs, while those in Colombia were more likely to list access to healthcare, help finding jobs, and food assistance. When looking at perceived discrimination, means scores for discrimination were significantly greater for participants who indicated needing housing services, who indicated needing assistance enrolling children in school and who indicated needing food assistance, compared to participants who did not list those needs. Venezuelans who had experienced greater negative context of reception were less likely to indicate needing mental health services, where 11.9 percent of those who did not perceive a negative context of reception responded that they needed mental health services. Evaluating existing service networks will be essential in working to bridge the gap between the services provided to and requested by Venezuelans. Collaboration between diverse government actors, community-based organizations (CBOs) and other stakeholders can help identify gaps in existing service networks. CBOs can also facilitate communication between Venezuelan immigrants and their new communities, on the need to invest in necessary services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People living in rural and remote communities commonly experience significant health disadvantages. Geographical barriers and reduced specialist and generalist services impact access to care when compared with metropolitan context. Innovative models of care have been developed for people living with chronic diseases in rural areas with the goal of overcoming these inequities. The aim of this paper was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of studies investigating innovative models of care for people living with chronic disease in rural areas of developed countries where a metropolitan comparator was included.Methods: An integrative systematic review was undertaken. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method was used to understand the empirical and theoretical data on clinical outcomes for people living with chronic disease in rural compared with metropolitan contexts and their models of care in Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.Results: Literature searching revealed 620 articles published in English between 1st January 2000 and 31st March 2019. One hundred sixty were included in the review including 68 from the United States, 59 from Australia and New Zealand (5), 21 from Canada and 11 from the United Kingdom and Ireland. 53% (84) focused on cardiovascular disease; 27% (43) diabetes mellitus; 8% (12) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and 13% (27) chronic kidney disease. Mortality was only reported in 10% (16) of studies and only 18% (29) reported data on Indigenous populations.Conclusions: This integrated review reveals that the published literature on common chronic health issues pertaining to rural and remote populations is largely descriptive. Only a small number of publications focus on mortality and comparative health outcomes from health care models in both urban and non-urban populations. Innovative service models and telehealth are together well represented in the published literature but data on health outcomes is relatively sparse. There is significant scope for further directly comparative studies detailing the effect of service delivery models on the health outcomes of urban and rural populations. We believe that such data would further knowledge in this field and help to break the deadly synergy between increased rurality and poorer outcomes for people with chronic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing prevalence of youths with chronic medical conditions and the racial, gender, and class disparities in health in the U.S., it is important to understand how families manage their youths' health condition during the transitional time of adolescence when parents and youths are renegotiating their respective roles and responsibilities related to that condition. This paper explores a relatively understudied factor to this fraught and often confusing process: family involvement in multiple institutions for both health and non-health related issues. Based on qualitative fieldwork with 33 families in New York City whose youths have chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma, obesity), the paper shows how family multi-institutional involvement can sap family resources in often unexpected ways. This type of institutional involvement has greater implications for poor and minority families who are more likely to be compelled to participate in these organizations with less influence to shape their cases as opposed to middle class and white families. In sum, this paper provides a more nuanced perspective of parental involvement in youths' health management practices as a fluid evolving process shaped in part by family involvement in other institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the effects of prenatal public health insurance targeting noncitizens on the health of U.S.-born children of noncitizen mothers beyond birth outcomes., Data Sources and Study Setting: This paper uses the restricted version of the 1998-2014 National Health Interview Survey with state-level geographic identifiers., Study Design: The empirical strategy compares outcomes in states that adopted the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Unborn Child Option with states that never adopted or adopted it at different times, controlling for differences in the pre-treatment period. I use a flexible event-study analysis to quantify the effects of the Unborn Child Option on noncitizen women's health insurance coverage, health care utilization, and their children's health., Data Collection/extraction Methods: All data are derived from pre-existing sources., Principal Findings: The study finds that the impact of the Unborn Child Option is a 4.7%-point increase in public health insurance coverage (p < 0.01) and 0.48 more doctor's office visits (p < 0.1) annually among noncitizens of childbearing ages. Subsequently, the reform leads to a 7%-point rise in the rate of parents reporting their 4-6-year-old children are in "excellent" or "very good" health (p < 0.01). While no improvements are evident at birth and at younger ages, observed health improvements begin to appear by preschool age., Conclusions: The study contributes to the literature by providing evidence that certain benefits of in-utero public health insurance targeting noncitizens may appear several years after birth, specifically around preschool age., (© 2023 Health Research and Educational Trust.)

Introduction: Action 3 of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing plan is to deliver integrated care to improve older adults' lives. Integrated care is vital in meeting the complex needs of people with dementia but little is known about how this is or could be delivered in low and middle income countries (LMIC). This paper provides insights into previously unknown care system structures and on the potential and reality of delivering integrated care in Central America for people with dementia. Methods: A social network analysis (SNA) methodology was adopted to engage with providers of services for older adults and families with dementia in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama. Sixty-eight (68) semi-structured interviews were completed, 57 with organisations and 11 with families. Results: Across the five countries there was evidence of fragmentation and low integration within the dementia care systems. A variety of services and types of providers are present in all five countries, and high levels of diversified connections exist among organisations of differing disciplines. However, unawareness among network members about other members that they could potentially form active links with is a barrier on the path to integration. Conclusion: This innovative and robust study demonstrates SNA can be applied to evaluate LMIC care systems. Findings provide baselines of system structures and insights into where resources are needed to fortify integration strategies. Results suggest that Central American countries have the building blocks in place to develop integrated care systems to meet the needs of people with dementia, but the links across service providers are opportunistic rather than context based coordinated integration policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Self-rated physical health (SRPH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) are both linked to excess morbidity and premature mortality and can vary across rural and urban contexts. This can be particularly problematic for rural residents who have less access to important health care infrastructure. In this paper, we assess the prevalence of and rural-urban disparities at the intersection of SRPH and SRMH, specifically self-rated physical/mental multimorbidity (SRPMM) overall and across rural-urban contexts. Methods: Using a cross-sectional demographically representative national dataset of over 4000 working age adults in the U.S., we expose rural-urban differences in the prevalence of SRPMM and explore individual-level factors that may explain this disparity. Results: Approximately 15 percent of working age adults reported SRPMM, but rural adults were at higher risk than their urban counterparts. However, this disadvantage disappeared for remote rural working-age adults and was attenuated for metro-adjacent rural working-age adults when we controlled for the fact that rural adults had lower household incomes. Conclusion: Findings reveal a higher risk of SRPMM among rural adults, in part because of lower incomes among this group. This work acts as the foundation for facilitating research on and addressing rural-urban disparities in SRPMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Innovative interventions are needed to address the growing burden of breast cancer globally, especially among vulnerable patient populations. Given the success of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in addressing communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases, this scoping review will investigate the roles and impacts of CHWs in breast cancer screening programs. This paper also seeks to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of these programs, with particular attention paid to differences between CHW-led interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs).Methods: A scoping review was performed using six databases with dates ranging from 1978 to 2019. Comprehensive definitions and search terms were established for 'Community Health Workers' and 'breast cancer screening', and studies were extracted using the World Bank definition of LMIC. Screening and data extraction were protocolized using multiple independent reviewers. Chi-square test of independence was used for statistical analysis of the incidence of themes in HICs and LMICs.Results: Of the 1,551 papers screened, 33 were included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study locations included the United States (n=27), Bangladesh (n=1), Peru (n=1), Malawi (n=2), Rwanda (n=1), and South Africa (n=1). Three primary roles for CHWs in breast cancer screening were identified: education (n=30), direct assistance or performance of breast cancer screening (n=7), and navigational services (n=6). In these roles, CHWs improved rates of breast cancer screening (n=23) and overall community member knowledge (n=21). Two studies performed cost-analyses of CHW-led interventions.Conclusion: This review extends our understanding of CHW effectiveness to breast cancer screening. It illustrates how CHW involvement in screening programs can have a significant impact in LMICs and HICs, and highlights the three CHW roles of education, direct performance of screening, and navigational services that emerge as useful pillars around which governments and NGOs can design effective programs in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The state of evidence-based transgender healthcare in the United States has been put at risk by the spread of misinformation harmful to transgender people. Health science librarians can alleviate the spread of misinformation by identifying and analyzing its flow through systems that affect access to healthcare. Discussion: The author developed the theory of the Misinformation - Legislation Pipeline by studying the flow of antitransgender misinformation from online echo chambers through a peer-reviewed article and into policy enacted to ban medical treatments for transgender people in the state of Florida. The analysis is precluded with a literature review of currently accepted best practices in transgender healthcare, after which, the author analyzes the key report leveraged by Florida's Department of Health in its ban. A critical analysis of the report is followed by a secondary analysis of the key peer-reviewed article upon which the Florida Medicaid authors relied to make the decision. The paper culminates with a summation of the trajectory of anti-transgender misinformation. Conclusion: Misinformation plays a key role in producing legislation harmful to transgender people. Health science librarians have a role to play in identifying misinformation as it flows through the Misinformation - Legislation Pipeline and enacting key practices to identify, analyze, and oppose the spread of harmful misinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a life-threatening condition. Given the nature of the disease and associated complications with high mortality and morbidity rates, it is imperative that patients are diagnosed in early infancy, are established with specialists and general pediatric care immediately, and receive continuity in care. A percentage of patients diagnosed with SCD fall within a vulnerable, at-risk population. This population may face greater social barriers that lead to missed or late diagnosis and therefore delayed management, significantly increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality. Screening tools such as state newborn screens help to identify the diagnosis early. However, patients in vulnerable, at-risk populations who are not established in the health care system may not receive timely communication about their illness and necessary next steps for care. We present a case of a 12-month-old female who is an example of one of the many patients who despite having undergone newborn screening, fell through the cracks due to social barriers including housing instability, food insecurity, and lack of access to transportation. This paper emphasizes the need for and provides a real example of the benefit of access to longitudinal primary care for vulnerable patients. We also demonstrate the role of primary care in clearing the care gaps and coordinating services quickly to ultimately prevent life-threatening complications specifically for children with previously undiagnosed chronic illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital health, including telemedicine, has increased access to abortion care. The convenience, flexibility of appointment times, and ensured privacy to abortion users may make abortion services via telemedicine preferable. This scoping review systematically mapped studies conducted on abortion services via telemedicine, including their effectiveness and acceptability for abortion users and providers. All published papers included abortion services via telemedicine in the United States were considered. Articles were searched in PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases in September 2022. The findings were synthesized narratively, and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used to report this study. Out of 757 retrieved articles, 33 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. These studies were published between 2011 and 2022, with 24 published in the last 3 years. The study found that telemedicine increased access to abortion care in the United States, especially for people in remote areas or those worried about stigma from in-person visits. The effectiveness of abortion services via telemedicine was comparable to in-clinic visits, with 6% or fewer abortions requiring surgical intervention. Both care providers and abortion seekers expressed positive perceptions of telemedicine-based abortion services. However, abortion users reported mixed emotions, with some preferring in-person visits. The most common reasons for choosing telemedicine included the distance to the abortion clinic, convenience, privacy, cost, flexibility of appointment times, and state laws imposing waiting periods or restrictive policies. Telemedicine offered a preferable option for abortion seekers and providers. The feasibility of accessing abortion services via telemedicine in low-resource settings needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immigrant Latinx transgender people often migrate to the United States because of a desire for increased safety and more opportunities. However, after migrating to the United States, immigrant Latinx transgender people often struggle to access basic needs, including health care, jobs, and stable finances. These struggles are exacerbated for undocumented immigrant Latinx transgender people. There is a gap in the literature regarding needed resources for immigrant Latinx transgender community members living in the United States. Aims: Utilizing a critical intersectionality framework, the aim of the present study was to investigate the resource needs of immigrant Latinx transgender community members living in the United States. Methods: A community sample of 18 immigrant Latinx transgender people living in a large metropolitan city in Florida participated in individual semi-structured interviews to explore their community resource needs. Results: Thematic analysis revealed five themes related to resources that participants needed including: 1) Transgender healthcare/resources, 2) Public education, 3) Financial aid resources, 4) Homelessness resources, and 5) Addictions care. Two resource need-related themes were identified that pertain specifically to undocumented immigrant Latinx transgender people, including: 1) Documentation papers for access, and 2) Legal aid. Conclusions: Findings suggest that immigrant Latinx transgender community members in this study provided guidance about broad resources needed to enhance their wellness and safety, and promote liberation of community members. Participants' resource needs suggest the importance of policy and structural level changes from institutions with power that consider and enhance the wellness of immigrant Latinx transgender people. Findings also suggest the need for more tailored interventions and case work to better support immigrant Latinx transgender people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on communities of color in the United States along with the civil unrest taking place in 2020 in response to the killing of unarmed Black men and women by the police have increased awareness of the structural racism pervading US society. These developments have reraised the issue of reparations for Black Americans, usually proposed in the context of providing financial compensation for the injustices of slavery to the descendants of those who were enslaved. This paper will discuss the systematic racial inequality and structural racism in US society that have significantly disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities while giving advantages to white Americans, which most recently have resulted in significantly higher mortality and morbidity among Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans during the pandemic. The paper will conceptualize reparations within the context of theories of reparative justice. It will also consider whether reparations are owed, and if so, by whom, to whom, and in what form. The final section will offer a proposal for collective reparations to the Black community and other people of color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The primary aim of this paper is to accelerate the number of randomized experimental studies of the reliability and validity in-home tele-neuropsychological testing (tele-np-t). Method We conducted a critical review of the tele-neuropsychology literature. We discuss this research in the context of the United States' public and private healthcare payer systems, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system's telehealth lists, and existing disparities in healthcare access. Results The number of tele-np publications has been stagnant since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are less published experimental studies of tele-neuropsychology (tele-np), and particularly in-home tele-np-t, than other tele-np publications. There is strong foundational evidence of the acceptability, feasibility, and reliability of tele-np-t, but relatively few studies of the reliability and validity of in-home tele-np-t using randomization methodology. Conclusions More studies of the reliability and validity of in-home tele-np-t using randomization methodology are necessary to support inclusion of tele-np-t codes on the CMS and CPT telehealth lists, and subsequently, the integration and delivery of in-home tele-np-t services across providers and institutions. These actions are needed to maintain equitable reimbursement of in-home tele-np-t services and address the widespread disparities in healthcare access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broad disparities persist in access to healthcare and health outcomes in the United States, especially among vulnerable populations. An important step towards improving their healthcare access is to ensure "having access", or "accessibility". Drawing together the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, social determinants of health (SDOH), and spatial healthcare accessibility literature, the research attempts to create an integrative accessibility measure to support the improvement of "having access" for vulnerable populations. A Vulnerable Population Healthcare Accessibility Framework (VPHAF) is proposed to systematically integrate vulnerable population characteristics, health behavior, customer satisfaction, and other SDOH factors to measure healthcare accessibility using advanced analytics. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation of VPHAF demonstrates that it enhances the existing spatial accessibility methods. An intelligent spatial decision support system (SDSS) instantiates the framework to support the decision making in improving healthcare accessibility for vulnerable populations in a regional healthcare plan. The system was evaluated by decision makers from a real-world organization as a useful tool with high usability. The intelligent SDSS enables the collection of SDOH data from multiple sources and uses analytics to measure healthcare accessibility focusing on characteristics of vulnerable populations. Policymakers and health plan providers can use the system to increase awareness of social risks and advocate for better policy decisions in creating equitable healthcare access and reducing health disparity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, removing almost 50 years of precedent and enabling the imposition of a wide range of state‐level restrictions on abortion access. Historical data from the United States and internationally demonstrate that the removal of safe abortion options will increase complications and the health risks to pregnant patients. Because the emergency department is a critical access point for reproductive health care, emergency clinicians must be prepared for the policy, clinical, educational, and legal implications of this change. The goal of this paper, therefore, is to describe the impact of the reversal of Roe v. Wade on health equity and reproductive justice, the provision of emergency care education and training, and the specific legal and reproductive consequences for emergency clinicians. Finally, we conclude with specific recommended policy and advocacy responses for emergency medicine clinicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Access to clinicians competent in transgender health remains a significant barrier and contributor toward health inequity for transgender people. Studies on access and barriers to care have predominantly evaluated transgender patients' perceptions, but scant research has included the perspectives of clinicians.Aims: We conducted a qualitative study to explore how clinicians (meaning physicians and advanced practice providers, in this paper) in the United States: (1) attain and utilize information, (2) perceive barriers and facilitators, and (3) understood gaps in their professional training, in regard to practicing transgender health care.Methods: A Qualitative Descriptive approach guided our conventional content analysis of field notes and interviews with clinicians within a parent study that explored health care access among transgender adults. Transcripts were coded into meaning units that were iteratively abstracted into themes. Standard measures were performed to promote the trustworthiness of the analysis and reduce bias.Results: Participants (n = 13) consisted of physicians (n = 8), physician assistants (n = 3), and nurse practitioners (n = 2). The majority were women (n = 11), identified as White (n = 9), cisgender (n = 13), and ages ranged from 31 - 58 years. Five main themes were identified: (1) Knowledge Acquisition: Formal and Informal Pathways to Competency; (2) Perceived Challenges and Barriers: I didn't know what I was doing; (3) Power to Deny: Prescriptive Authority and Gatekeeping; (4) Stigma: This is really strange, and I can't really understand it; (5) Reflections: Strategies for Success, Rewards, and Personal Motivations.Discussion: Clinicians gained a sense of comfort and competence with mentorship, self-directed learning, clinical experience, and person-centered, harm-reduction approaches. Stigma, bias, and structural-level factors were barriers to providing care. This study offers a unique perspective of clinicians' motivations and strategies for providing gender-affirming care and elucidates how stigma impacts the delivery of gender-affirming care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abortion continues to be a hotly debated topic in the United States, despite the majority of the populace endorsing it as a legal right. The June 2022 ruling from the Supreme Court turned the legal question about abortion back to the states, which will drastically reduce abortion services in the country and confine abortion access mainly to the coasts. The intersection between abortion and a pregnancy achieved using assisted reproductive technology is one that lacks understanding. While presumed to be rare, as data is not collected in the US about abortions, this intersection exists but is understudied. This paper illuminates the little that we know to date about this intersection as well as where our knowledge is profoundly lacking. Creating a better sense of understanding will enable clinics to counsel patients appropriately when the intersection arises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality globally. In the United States, the prevalence of hypertension (blood pressure ≥130/80 mm Hg) among adults is approximately 45%. Racial/ethnic disparities in hypertension prevalence are well documented, especially among Black adults who are disproportionately affected and have one of the highest rates of hypertension globally. Hypertension control remains a persistent public health crisis. Recently published data indicate suboptimal hypertension control rates, particularly for racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States. This requires urgent action because of the significant health care burden from cardiovascular- and stroke-related morbidity and mortality. This clinical review delineates racial/ethnic disparities in the epidemiology of hypertension, and the impact of social determinants of health on the quality of cardiovascular care and outcomes. Clinical practice guideline recommendations and various national programs targeted toward hypertension control and proposed solutions to eliminate these disparities are discussed., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Ogunniyi has received institutional research grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Zoll; and has served as a consultant on the Advisory Board for Pfizer. Dr Ferdinand has received support from Novartis and Medtronic. Dr Commodore-Mensah has reported that she has no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the health of Black Americans, Latinx or Hispanic Americans, and American Indians. These disparities are deeply unjust, in part, because they are the causal result of racism at both the interpersonal and structural levels. This paper argues, however, that establishing a causal connection between racism and health disparities is not the only way to explain the injustice of these disparities. The COVID‐19 health disparities are arguably unjust because health equity is a "free‐standing" demand of justice, an obligation of reparative justice, a remedy to structural injustice, and part of dismantling pernicious racial concepts. Identifying multiple accounts of injustice may lower the evidentiary bar for our normative claims and help us to identify alternative policy pathways for ending health inequity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racism has resulted in significant disproportionality and disparity in the US child welfare system. Being Black is not an inherent risk factor for child abuse and neglect yet Black children are almost twice as likely to be victims of substantiated abuse and neglect claims compared to other racial groups. Addressing the disproportionality within the child welfare system due to systemic racism falls squarely under the purview of bioethics. In this paper, we briefly review the impact of racism on child welfare. We then discuss some ethical considerations that mandatory healthcare reporters should think through when determining whether to report potential abuse and neglect. Specifically, we discuss the need for a broader consideration of what constitutes harm. We then present a hypothetical composite case to illuminate where and how bias can enter the process of referral to child protective services (CPS). We encourage thoughtful reporting with consideration of social and historical context and alternative explanations for worrisome findings. We recommend using evidence, avoiding assumptions by seeking clarification from families and ensuring internal consistency. When contemplating CPS referral, medical providers should feel empowered to ask questions if there is concern for potential bias. The ultimate goal is to protect children from harm. If there are clear safety concerns—they must be addressed. However, in the many cases where the safety concern is less tangible, we need to expand our considerations of the harms that can befall children, especially children of color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Healthcare organisations serve clients from diverse Indigenous and other ethnic and racial groups on a daily basis, and require appropriate client-centred systems and services for provision of optimal healthcare. Despite advocacy for systems-level approaches to cultural competence, the primary focus in the literature remains on competency strategies aimed at health promotion initiatives, workforce development and student education. This paper aims to bridge the gap in available evidence about systems approaches to cultural competence by systematically mapping key concepts, types of evidence, and gaps in research. Methods: A literature search was completed as part of a larger systematic search of evaluations and measures of cultural competence interventions in health care in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Seventeen peer-reviewed databases, 13 websites and clearinghouses, and 11 literature reviews were searched from 2002 to 2015. Overall, 109 studies were found, with 15 evaluating systems-level interventions or describing measurements. Thematic analysis was used to identify key implementation principles, intervention strategies and outcomes reported. Results: Twelve intervention and three measurement studies met our inclusion criteria. Key principles for implementing systems approaches were: user engagement, organisational readiness, and delivery across multiple sites. Two key types of intervention strategies to embed cultural competence within health systems were: audit and quality improvement approaches and service-level policies or strategies. Outcomes were found for organisational systems, the client/practitioner encounter, health, and at national policy level. Discussion and implications: We could not determine the overall effectiveness of systems-level interventions to reform health systems because interventions were context-specific, there were too few comparative studies and studies did not use the same outcome measures. However, examined together, the intervention and measurement principles, strategies and outcomes provide a preliminary framework for implementation and evaluation of systems-level interventions to improve cultural competence. Identified gaps in the literature included a need for cost and effectiveness studies of systems approaches and explication of the effects of cultural competence on client experience. Further research is needed to explore the extent to which cultural competence improves health outcomes and reduces ethnic and racially-based healthcare disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising costs have made access to affordable insulin far more difficult for people with diabetes, especially low-income individuals, those on high deductible health plans, beneficiaries using Medicare Part B to cover insulin delivered via pump, Medicare beneficiaries in the Part D donut hole, and those who turn 26 and must transition from their parents' insurance, to manage their diabetes and avoid unnecessary complications and hospitalizations. For many patients with diabetes, insulin is a life-saving medication. Policymakers should immediately address drivers of rising insulin prices and implement solutions that would reduce high out-of-pocket expenditures for patients. The Endocrine Society recommends policy options to expand access to lower cost insulin in this paper., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The availability of breastfeeding support resources, including those provided by Baby-Friendly Hospitals, International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, breastfeeding counselors and educators, and volunteer-based mother-to-mother support organizations, such as La Leche League, are critically important for influencing breastfeeding initiation and continuation for the mother-child dyad. In addition, the emergence of community support options via information and communication technologies such as Skype and Facetime, social media (e.g., Facebook), and telelactation providers are providing mothers with a new range of support options that can help bridge geographic barriers to traditional community support. However, telelactation services that use information and communication technologies to connect breastfeeding mothers to remotely located breastfeeding experts require reliable, affordable, high-quality broadband connections to facilitate interaction between mothers and their support resources. The purpose of this paper is to explore the complex spatial landscape of virtual and face-to-face breastfeeding support options for mothers in the state of Ohio (U.S.), identifying barriers to support. Using a range of spatial and network analytics, the results suggest that a divide is emerging. While urban areas in Ohio benefit from both a density of face-to-face breastfeeding support resources and robust broadband options for engaging in telelactation, many rural areas of the state are lacking access to both. Policy implications and several potential strategies for mitigating these inequities are discussed., Competing Interests: Kelly M. Durbin is employed by Childbirth International, but this commercial affiliation does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Competing Interests: Author Relationship With Industry Dr. Vaduganathan is supported by the KL2/Catalyst Medical Research Investigator Training award from Harvard Catalyst (NIH/NCATS Award UL 1TR002541); has received research support from Amgen; has served on Advisory Boards for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Baxter Healthcare, Bayer AG, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, and Relypsa; and has participated on clinical endpoint committees for studies sponsored by Galmed, Novartis, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Butler has served as a consultant to Abbott, Adrenomed, Amgen, Applied Therapeutics, Array, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BerlinCures, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardior, CVRx, Foundry, G3 Pharma, Imbria, Impulse Dynamics, Innolife, Janssen, LivaNova, Luitpold, Medtronic, Merck, Novartis, NovoNordisk, Relypsa, Roche, Sanofi, Sequana Medical, V-Wave Limited, and Vifor. Dr. Krumholz has received expenses and/or personal fees from UnitedHealth, IBM Watson Health, Element Science, Aetna, Facebook, the Siegfried and Jensen Law Firm, Arnold and Porter Law Firm, Martin/Baughman Law Firm, F-Prime, and the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases in Beijing; is an owner of Refactor Health and HugoHealth; and has had grants and/or contracts from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medtronic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Johnson & Johnson, and the Shenzhen Center for Health Information. Dr. Bhatt has served on the Advisory Boards of Cardax, CellProthera, Cereno Scientific, Elsevier Practice Update Cardiology, Level Ex, Medscape Cardiology, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, and Regado Biosciences; has served on the boards of directors of the Boston VA Research Institute, Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, and TobeSoft; has served as chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee; has served on data monitoring committees for the Baim Institute for Clinical Research (formerly Harvard Clinical Research Institute, for the PORTICO trial, funded by St. Jude Medical, now Abbott), Cleveland Clinic (including for the ExCEED trial, funded by Edwards Lifesciences), Contego Medical (chair of the PERFORMANCE 2 trial), Duke Clinical Research Institute, Mayo Clinic, Mount Sinai School of Medicine (for the ENVISAGE trial, funded by Daiichi-Sankyo), and Population Health Research Institute; has received honoraria from the American College of Cardiology (senior associate editor, Clinical Trials and News, ACC.org; and vice chair of the ACC Accreditation Committee), Baim Institute for Clinical Research (formerly Harvard Clinical Research Institute; RE-DUAL PCI clinical trial steering committee funded by Boehringer Ingelheim; AEGIS-II executive committee funded by CSL Behring), Belvoir Publications (Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Heart Letter), Duke Clinical Research Institute (clinical trial steering committees, including for the PRONOUNCE trial, funded by Ferring Pharmaceuticals), HMP Global (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Invasive Cardiology), Journal of the American College of Cardiology (guest editor; associate editor), K2P (co-chair, interdisciplinary curriculum), Level Ex, Medtelligence/ReachMD (CME steering committees), MJH Life Sciences, Population Health Research Institute (for the COMPASS operations committee, publications committee, steering committee, and USA national co-leader, funded by Bayer), Slack Publications (chief medical editor, Cardiology Today’s Intervention), Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (secretary/treasurer), and WebMD (CME steering committees); has other relationships with Clinical Cardiology (deputy editor), NCDR-ACTION Registry Steering Committee (chair), and VA CART Research and Publications Committee (chair); has received research funding from Abbott, Afimmune, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cardax, Chiesi, CSL Behring, Eisai, Ethicon, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Fractyl, Idorsia, Ironwood, Ischemix, Lexicon, Lilly, Medtronic, Pfizer, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Synaptic, and The Medicines Company; has received royalties from Elsevier (editor, Cardiovascular Intervention: A Companion to Braunwald’s Heart Disease); has been a site coinvestigator for Biotronik, Boston Scientific, CSI, St. Jude Medical (now Abbott), and Svelte; has been a trustee for the American College of Cardiology; and has performed unfunded research for FlowCo, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Takeda. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Background: The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) is responsible for leading the nation's efforts to provide health care, medications, and support services to low-income people living with HIV through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). The RWHAP funds and coordinates with cities, states, and local community-based organizations to deliver efficient and effective HIV care, treatment, and support services for over half a million vulnerable people living with HIV (PLWH) and their families in the United States. The annual RWHAP Services Report (RSR) is an important source of information for monitoring RWHAP's progress towards National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals. Since 2010, HRSA HAB has used the annual client-level RSR data to monitor program-related outcomes, conduct program evaluations, understand service provision, and conduct extensive analysis on disparities in viral suppression and retention in HIV care. HRSA HAB receives annual RSR submissions from RWHAP recipients and sub-recipients. However, the de-identified nature of the data limits HRSA HAB's ability to expand beyond year-to-year analyses and conduct additional analyses to evaluate outcomes for clients who are seen in multiple years. The current paper describes the development and validation of a method to link RSR client-level records across multiple data years., Methods and Findings: Using seven RSR reporting years of data (2010 to 2016), we applied a Fellegi-Sunter (F-S) linkage model that used client demographic characteristics and their providers' geographic locations to calculate matching weights for each record pair based on estimated agreement and disagreement conditional probabilities across RSR years. To validate our methodology, we conducted an internal sample review and external validation to assess the level of accuracy of the linkage, and the extent to which the linked data set corresponds accurately to clinical records of individual clients. The linkage result yielded 70 to 80 percent year-to-year client carry-over rate over seven years of the RSR data; 96 percent linkage ratio from the internal sample review and 79.9 to 94.2 percent of provider network client carry- over rate per year from the external validation., Conclusions: This methodology addresses a gap in data analysis capabilities by allowing HRSA HAB to link RWHAP clients across reporting years. Despite weak identifying information and lack of continuity of service reporting, the longitudinal linkage improves HRSA HAB's ability to evaluate the patterns of viral suppression and monitor service utilization over time for individuals who receive services in multiple years. These analyses will support future analytic activities in understanding the impact and outcomes of the RWHAP, and will assist HRSA HAB in monitoring progress toward meeting National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals. For those looking for ways to assess health services data, the F-S unsupervised method combining weak identifying attributes and geographic proximity offers practical solutions to the problem of linking de-identified information about individuals across multiple years and improving longitudinal research., Competing Interests: Co-authors KM, SL and SH are employed by Westat and LS is a former employee of Accenture Federal Systems. This does not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) residing in rural areas experience substantial barriers to HIV care, which may contribute to poor HIV health outcomes, including retention in HIV care and viral suppression. The Health Resources and Services Administration's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (HRSA RWHAP) is an important source of HIV medical care and support services in rural areas. The purpose of this analysis was to (1) assess the reach of the RWHAP in rural areas of the United States, (2) compare the characteristics and funded services of RWHAP provider organizations in rural and non-rural areas, and (3) compare the characteristics and clinical outcomes of RWHAP clients accessing medical care and support services in rural and non-rural areas., Methods and Findings: Data for this analysis were abstracted from the 2017 RWHAP Services Report (RSR), the primary source of annual, client-level RWHAP data. Organizations funded to deliver RWHAP any service ("RWHAP providers") were categorized as rural or non-rural according to the HRSA FORHP's definition of modified Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes. RWHAP clients were categorized based on their patterns of RWHAP service use as "visited only rural providers," "visited only non-rural providers," or "visited rural and non-rural providers." In 2017, among the 2,113 providers funded by the RWHAP, 6.2% (n = 132) were located in HRSA-designated rural areas. Rural providers were funded to deliver a greater number of service categories per site than non-rural providers (44.7% funded for ≥5 services vs. 34.1% funded for ≥5 services, respectively). Providers in rural areas served fewer clients than providers in non-rural areas; 47.3% of RWHAP providers in rural areas served 1-99 clients, while 29.6% of non-rural providers served 1-99 clients. Retention in care and viral suppression outcomes did not differ on the basis of whether a client accessed services from rural or non-rural providers., Conclusions: RWHAP providers are a crucial component of HIV care delivery in the rural United States despite evidence of significant barriers to engagement in care for rural PLWH, RWHAP clients who visited rural providers were just as likely to be retained in care and reach viral suppression as their counterparts who visited non-rural providers. The RWHAP, especially in partnership with Rural Health Clinics and federally funded Health Centers, has the infrastructure and expertise necessary to address the HIV epidemic in rural America., Competing Interests: The authors work for the federal agency that implements the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program which is the subject of this paper.

Background: Every person who seeks health care should be affirmed, respected, understood, and not judged. However, trans and gender diverse people have experienced significant marginalization and discrimination in health care settings. Health professionals are generally not adequately prepared by current curricula to provide appropriate healthcare to trans and gender diverse people. This strongly implies that health care students would benefit from curricula which facilitate learning about gender-affirming health care., Main Body: Trans and gender diverse people have been pathologized by the medical profession, through classifications of mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Disease (ICD). Although this is changing in the new ICD-11, tension remains between depathologization discourses and access to gender-affirming health care. Trans and gender diverse people experience significant health disparities and an increased burden of disease, specifically in the areas of mental health, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, violence and victimisation. Many of these health disparities originate from discrimination and systemic biases that decrease access to care, as well as from health professional ignorance. This paper will outline gaps in health science curricula that have been described in different contexts, and specific educational interventions that have attempted to improve awareness, knowledge and skills related to gender-affirming health care. The education of primary care providers is critical, as in much of the world, specialist services for gender-affirming health care are not widely available. The ethics of the gatekeeping model, where service providers decide who can access care, will be discussed and contrasted with the informed-consent model that upholds autonomy by empowering patients to make their own health care decisions., Conclusion: There is an ethical imperative for health professionals to reduce health care disparities of trans and gender diverse people and practice within the health care values of social justice and cultural humility. As health science educators, we have an ethical duty to include gender-affirming health in health science curricula in order to prevent harm to the trans and gender diverse patients that our students will provide care for in the future.

Background: One of the fundamental objectives of the basic medical security system is to provide institutional guarantees for the appropriate medical needs of different groups. Among them, achieving fairness of benefits is the first principle of the system. This study aims to explore the benefit equity of preventive health care for different groups and the specific path to promote fairness. Methods: Based on the 2015 CHNS survey data, through the theory construction of benefit fairness in the basic medical insurance and using the two-stage IV-Heckman model, the paper analyzes the benefit fairness of the basic medical insurance in urban and rural China. Results: This study indicates that (1) the results of empirical and theoretical models are not consistent with the sample of the insured population. (2) As private medical insurance and medical assistance are restricted in the model, the reimbursement ratio of medical insurance in other income groups is all higher than the highest one. However, the coefficient is getting larger, with the lowest income group having the largest coefficient. After controlling for variables of disease and severity, the results suggest that the main impact path is hospitalization costs. (3) Taking the highest income group as a reference, the compensation proportion of preventive health care in other groups is higher, respectively, than the reference group, while the groups below middle income have a significant relationship with compensation for preventive health care. Conclusions: Supplementary private medical insurance and medical assistance have important protection functions for low- and middle-income populations. However, owing to the actual income threshold, the two groups cannot benefit from the medical security system. This result is still valid in the field of preventive health care. The increase of preventive health care expenditure reduces the cost of individual hospitalization, but the high-income group has emerged with more preventive health care expenditures, creating new unfairness., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. They agree on this final manuscript.

Despite high mortality rates due to opioid overdose and excessive alcohol consumption, medications for the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorder have not been widely used in the USA. This paper provides an overview of the literature on the availability of alcohol and opioid used disorder medications in the specialty substance use disorder treatment system, other treatment settings and systems, and among providers with a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. We also present the most current data on the availability of alcohol and opioid use disorder medications in the USA. These estimates show steady growth in availability of opioid use disorder medications over the past decade and a decline in availability of alcohol use disorder medications. However, overall use of medications in the USA remains low. In 2017, only 16.3% of specialty treatment programs offered any single medication for alcohol use disorder treatment and 35.5% offered any single medication for opioid use disorder treatment. Availability of buprenorphine-waivered providers has increased significantly since 2002. However, geographic disparities in access to buprenorphine remain. Some of the most promising strategies to increase availability of alcohol and opioid use disorder medications include the following: incorporating substance use disorder training in healthcare education programs, educating the substance use disorder workforce about the benefits of medication treatment, reducing stigma surrounding the use of medications, implementing medications in primary care settings, implementing integrated care models, revising regulations on methadone and buprenorphine, improving health insurance coverage of medications, and developing novel medications for the treatment of substance use disorder.

In the United States, undocumented residents face unique barriers to healthcare access that render them disproportionately dependent on the emergency department (ED) for care. Consequently, ED providers are integral to the health of this vulnerable population. Yet special considerations, both clinical and social, generally fall outside the purview of the emergency medicine curriculum. This paper serves as a primer on caring for undocumented patients in the ED, includes a conceptual framework for immigration as a social determinant of health, reviews unique clinical considerations, and finally suggests a blueprint for immigration-informed emergency care.

Increasing numbers of young transgender people are now using medical technologies to achieve a physical gender transition. However, the procedures of physical gender transition might cause temporary or permanent sterility. Thus many transgender people are now using fertility preservation technologies. Nonetheless, they can experience dilemmas in making reproductive and family-building decisions and face challenges in gaining access to and utilizing fertility preservation services. Based on qualitative research conducted with transgender men and women who used reproductive technologies for preserving their fertility before or during their physical transition, this paper contributes to the discourse of reproductive choice by the inclusion of transgender people's experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence-based reproductive care reduces morbidity and mortality for women and their children, decreases health disparities and saves money. Community health centres (CHCs) are a key point of access to reproductive and primary care services for women who are publicly insured, uninsured or unable to pay for care. Women of reproductive age (15-44 years) comprise just of a quarter (26%) of the total CHC patient population, with higher than average proportions of women of colour, women with lower income and educational status and social challenges (e.g. housing). Such factors are associated with poorer reproductive health outcomes across contraceptive, preventive and pregnancy-related services. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) prioritised reproductive health as an essential component of women's preventive services to counter these barriers and increase women's access to care. In 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled ACA implementation through Medicaid expansion as optional, creating a natural experiment to measure the ACA's impact on women's reproductive care delivery and health outcomes., Methods: This paper describes a 5-year, mixed-methods study comparing women's contraceptive, preventive, prenatal and postpartum care before and after ACA implementation and between Medicaid expansion and non-expansion states. Quantitative assessment will leverage electronic health record data from the ADVANCE Clinical Research Network, a network of over 130 CHCs in 24 states, to describe care and identify patient, practice and state-level factors associated with provision of recommended evidence-based care. Qualitative assessment will include patient, provider and practice level interviews to understand perceptions and utilisation of reproductive healthcare in CHC settings., Discussion: To our knowledge, this will be the first study using patient level electronic health record data from multiple states to assess the impact of ACA implementation in conjunction with other practice and policy level factors such as Title X funding or 1115 Medicaid waivers. Findings will be relevant to policy and practice, informing efforts to enhance the provision of timely, evidence-based reproductive care, improve health outcomes and reduce disparities among women. Patient, provider and practice-level interviews will serve to contextualise our findings and develop subsequent studies and interventions to support women's healthcare provision in CHC settings.

Background: NCI-Designated Cancer Centers provide key cancer research, prevention, and treatment services to members of their catchment area. Characterization of these areas may be complex given the diverse needs of the populations within, particularly those from low socioeconomic position (SEP). The purpose of this paper is to describe the characterization of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) catchment area through using a two-pronged approach., Methods: Participants ( n = 1,511) were recruited through (i) an online, probability-based survey ( n = 1,013) and (ii) a supplementary, in-person survey from priority groups (African Americans, Latinos, blue-collar workers, low SEP, homeless; n = 498) within Massachusetts. Study staff worked closely with community partners across the state to reach individuals who may not usually be included in online surveys., Results: There were several differences across samples, with the community-based sample having a higher percentage of low SEP, low education, African Americans, and Latinos compared with the online sample. Differences were also noted in the cancer-related behaviors of the samples, with the community-based sample having higher rates of smoking, particularly within those who were homeless or make less than $20,000 per year. Fewer community-based subgroups were current with cancer screenings, and more showed more indication of potential communication inequalities compared with statewide estimates., Conclusions: The sampling strategy used to characterization of the DF/HCC catchment area provided broad, statewide estimates and additional focus on vulnerable populations, highlighting several potential areas for intervention., Impact: This study provides data to highlight the value of using multiple sampling strategies when characterizing cancer center catchment areas., (©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.)

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According to the purposes for the formation of the United Nations, sophistication of institutions like the Security Council must be evaluated based on the provision of peace and how they guarantee human rights. Therefore, in case Security Council does not follow these two mentioned factors, its function would be itself a threat to the international peace and security. This analytical research is based on collecting library theoretical data related to different field studies which investigated the effects of sanctions issued by the Security Council, the United States and the European Union on citizens' health and tried to assess both their efficiency and legitimacy. The right to health is connected with the right of living. In case enough drugs, appropriate treatment and medical equipment are not provided at the proper time, both physical and mental health might be threatened and this can cause death of a large number of people. Considering the Security Council as an institution which is expected to take into account the citizens' basic rights and not to ignore its own initial objective, the present paper was an attempt to provide explanations for the above concepts and their relationships and to analyze the findings of previous field studies. The paper concluded that sanctions issued by the Security Council and the United States are potentially functioning as threats to the international peace and so these sanctions are violating the citizens' right to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2000, the American PT Association (APTA) published its Vision statement advocating for DA (DA) to PT. This narrative review of the literature aims to identify the current state of DA in the United States (US) and compare that status to the US Military. Initial PubMed search in the English language with keywords physical therapy (PT), physiotherapy, DA, self-referral, and primary contact from the year 2000 onwards with subsequent focused searches using keywords DA/self-referral/primary contact of physical therapists/physiotherapists on outcomes/autonomous practice/economic impact/patient satisfaction yielded 103 applicable studies on the topic. This paper excluded 40 international articles to focus on US military and civilian research. Current literature supports Physical Therapists (PTs) in an initial contact role based on patient safety, satisfaction, access to care, efficiency, healthcare utilization, and potential cost savings. Despite its success in the US Military, DA to PT in the US civilians remains limited and incomplete. PTs still await unrestricted DA and privileges associated with autonomous practice including the ability to order imaging and prescribe some medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transgender, non-binary, and/or gender expansive (TNG) individuals experience disproportionately high rates of mental illness and unique barriers to accessing psychiatric care. Integrating TNG-specific psychiatric care with other physical health services may improve engagement, but little published literature describes patient and clinician perspectives on such models of care. Here we present a formative evaluation aiming to inform future projects integrating psychiatric care with physical health care for TNG individuals. Methods: In this qualitative pre-implementation study, semi-structured interview guides were developed informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to ensure uniform inclusion and sequencing of topics and allow for valid comparison across interviews. We elicited TNG patient (n = 11) and gender-affirming care clinician (n = 10) needs and preferences regarding integrating psychiatric care with other gender-affirming clinical services. We conducted a rapid analysis procedure, yielding a descriptive analysis for each participant group, identifying challenges of and opportunities in offering integrated gender-affirming psychiatric care. Results: Participants unanimously preferred integrating psychiatry within primary care instead of siloed service models. All participants preferred that patients have access to direct psychiatry appointments (rather than psychiatrist consultation with care team only) and all gender-affirming care clinicians wanted increased access to psychiatric consultations. The need for flexible, tailored care was emphasized. Facilitators identified included taking insurance, telehealth, clinician TNG-competence, and protecting time for clinicians to collaborate and obtain consultation. Conclusions: This health equity pre-implementation project engaged TNG patients and gender-affirming care clinicians to inform future research exploring integration of mental health care with primary care for the TNG community and suggests utility of such a model of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]