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The article presents a study which examines how primary care appointment access varies by neighborhood socio-demographics and primary care supply, hypothesizing less access in low SES neighborhoods. It defined availability and wait times as whether an appointment was offered and the number of days from the request to the appointment offered. It states that further studies should examine the relationship between primary care supply and appointment access in other settings.

The article discusses a study focusing on the views of state legislators on the Medicaid program in the U.S. Topics discussed include the legislators' priorities for Medicaid reform and policy changes; the difference in views of Democrats and Republicans regarding healthcare spending; and the preference of Republicans for cost-sharing for Medicaid recipients.

Background: As primary care moves toward a system of population health management, providers will need to engage patients outside traditional office-based interactions.Objective: We assessed patient attitudes regarding technology use to communicate with their primary care team or to engage with other patients outside typical office settings. Design/Participants/Main Measures We conducted a national survey using GfK KnowledgePanel(®) to examine attitudes on the use of digital technology (email, text messaging, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter) to communicate with primary care teams about health behavior goals and test results. We also assessed attitudes toward the use of digital technologies to engage with other patients in activities such as peer coaching.Key Results: Of the 5119 panel members invited to participate, 3336 completed the survey (response rate, 65.2 %). Among respondents, more than half (58 %) reported using Facebook, and nearly two-thirds (64.1 %) used text messaging. Overall, few participants were willing to communicate about health goals via social media (3.1 %) or text messaging (13.3 %), compared to email (48.8 %) or phone (75.5 %) (results were similar for communication about test results). Among those that used text messaging, race/ethnicity was the only factor independently associated with greater support for text messaging [African American (OR 1.44; 95 % CI, 1.01-2.06) and Hispanic (OR 1.8; 95 % CI, 1.25-2.59)] in multivariate models. Participants interested in engaging in peer coaching through Facebook (11.7 %) were more likely to be younger (p < 0.0001), female (p < 0.001), and a racial/ethnic minority (African American, non-Hispanic or Hispanic, p < 0.0004).Conclusions: Despite regular use of new digital technology such as text messaging and social media, few participants supported using these tools for communicating with their physicians' practice. Participants were most supportive of using email for communication. Contrary to previous studies, among users of technology, low socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic minorities were equally or more likely to support use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We examined the association between the size and growth of Latino populations and hospitals' uncompensated care in California. Methods. Our sample consisted of general acute care hospitals in California operating during 2000 and 2010 (n = 251). We merged California hospital data with US Census data for each hospital service area. We used spatial analysis, multivariate regression, and fixed-effect models. Results. We found a significant association between the growth of California's Latino population and hospitals' uncompensated care in the unadjusted regression. This association was still significant after we controlled for hospital and community population characteristics. After we added market characteristics into the final model, this relationship became nonsignificant. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that systematic support is needed in areas with rapid Latino population growth to control hospitals' uncompensated care, especially if Latinos are excluded from or do not respond to the insurance options made available through the Affordable Care Act. Improving availability of resources for hospitals and providers in areas with high Latino population growth could help alleviate financial pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE Previous studies suggest that the highest-risk patients value accessible, coordinated primary care that they perceive to be of high technical quality. We have limited understanding, however, of how low-income, chronically ill patients and the staff who care for them experience each individual step in the primary care process. METHODS We conducted qualitative interviews with uninsured or Medicaid patients with chronic illnesses, as well as with primary care staff. We interviewed 21 patients and 30 staff members with a variety of job titles from 3 primary care practices (1 federally qualified health center and 2 academically affiliated clinics). RESULTS The interviews revealed 3 major issues that were present at all stages of a primary care episode: (1) information flow throughout an episode of care is a frequent challenge, despite systems that are intended to improve communication; (2) misaligned goals and expectations among patients, clinicians, and staff members are often an impediment to providing and obtaining care; and (3) personal relationships are highly valued by both patients and staff. CONCLUSIONS Vulnerable populations and the primary care staff who work with them perceive some of the same challenges throughout the primary care process. Improving information flow, aligning goals and expectations, and developing personal relationships may improve the experience of both patients and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adoption of electronic health record systems has increased the availability of patient-level electronic health information. Objective: To examine public support for secondary uses of electronic health information under different consent arrangements. Design: National experimental survey to examine perceptions of uses of electronic health information according to patient consent (obtained vs. not obtained), use (research vs. marketing), and framing of the findings (abstract description without results vs. specific results). Setting: Nationally representative survey. Participants: 3064 African American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white persons (response rate, 65%). Measurements: Appropriateness of health information use described in vignettes on a scale of 1 (not at all appropriate) to 10 (very appropriate). Results: Mean ratings ranged from a low of 3.81 for a marketing use when consent was not obtained and specific results were presented to a high of 7.06 for a research use when consent was obtained and specific results were presented. Participants rated scenarios in which consent was obtained as more appropriate than when consent was not obtained (difference, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.69 to 1.34]; P < 0.001). Participants rated scenarios in which the use was marketing as less appropriate than when the use was research (difference, 2.03 [CI, 2.27 to 1.78]; P < 0.001). Unconsented research uses were rated as more appropriate than consented marketing uses (5.65 vs. 4.52; difference, 1.13 [CI, 0.87 to 1.39]). Limitations: Participants rated hypothetical scenarios. Results could be vulnerable to nonresponse bias despite the high response rate. Conclusion: Although approaches to health information sharing emphasize consent, public opinion also emphasizes purpose, which suggests a need to focus more attention on the social value of information use. Primary Funding Source: National Human Genome Research Institute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Patients with low socioeconomic status (low-SES) are at risk for poor outcomes during the post-hospital transition. Few prior studies explore perceived reasons for poor outcomes from the perspectives of these high-risk patients. OBJECTIVE: We explored low-SES patients' perceptions of hospitalization, discharge and post-hospital transition in order to generate hypotheses and identify common experiences during this transition. DESIGN: We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviewing. PARTICIPANTS: We interviewed 65 patients who were: 1) uninsured, insured by Medicaid or dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare; 2) residents of five low-income ZIP codes; 3) had capacity or a caregiver who could be interviewed as a proxy; and 4) hospitalized on the general medicine or cardiology services of two academically affiliated urban hospitals. APPROACH: Our interview guide investigated patients' perceptions of hospitalization, discharge and the post-hospital transition, and their performance of recommended post-hospital health behaviors related to: 1) experience of hospitalization and discharge; 2) external constraints on patients' ability to execute discharge instructions; 3) salience of health behaviors; and 4) self-efficacy to execute discharge instructions. We used a modified grounded theory approach to analysis. KEY RESULTS: We identified six themes that low-SES patients shared in their narratives of hospitalization, discharge and post-hospital transition. These were: 1) powerlessness during hospitalization due to illness and socioeconomic factors; 2) misalignment of patient and care team goals; 3) lack of saliency of health behaviors due to competing issues; 4) socioeconomic constraints on patients' ability to perform recommended behaviors; 5) abandonment after discharge; and 6) loss of self-efficacy resulting from failure to perform recommended behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Low-SES patients describe discharge goals that are confusing, unrealistic in the face of significant socioeconomic constraints, and in conflict with their own immediate goals. We hypothesize that this goal misalignment leads to a cycle of low achievement and loss of self-efficacy that may underlie poor post-hospital outcomes among low-SES patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study conducted to investigate the social, medical, financial, and legal disruptions caused due to high out-of-pocket health expenses. In the study, interviews were conducted with 33 insured patients suffering from chronic illnesses who sought philanthropic financial assistance. The study found that high levels of cost sharing resulted in anxiety and debt problems, disruptions of medical care, and threats to the household budgets of the patients.

BACKGROUND: Pharmaceutical industry gifts to physicians are common and influence physician behavior. Little is known about patient beliefs about the prevalence of these gifts and how these beliefs may influence trust in physicians and the health care system. OBJECTIVE: To measure patient perceptions about the prevalence of industry gifts and their relationship to trust in doctors and the health care system. DESIGN: Cross sectional random digit dial telephone survey. PARTICIPANTS: African-American and White adults in 40 large metropolitan areas. MAIN MEASURES: Respondents' beliefs about whether their physician and physicians in general receive industry gifts, physician trust, and health care system distrust. KEY RESULTS: Overall, 55% of respondents believe their physician receives gifts, and 34% believe almost all doctors receive gifts. Respondents of higher socioeconomic status (income, education) and younger age were more likely to believe their physician receives gifts. In multivariate analyses, those that believe their personal physician receives gifts were more likely to report low physician trust (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.56-3.30) and high health care system distrust (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.49-2.77). Similarly, those that believe almost all doctors accept gifts were more likely to report low physician trust (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.25-2.29) and high health care system distrust (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.82-3.62). CONCLUSIONS: Patients perceive physician-industry gift relationships as common. Patients that believe gift relationships exist report lower levels of physician trust and higher rates of health care system distrust. Greater efforts to limit industry-physician gifts could have positive effects beyond reducing influences on physician behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns over the influence of pharmaceutical gifts on physicians have surged in recent years. This has prompted wide ranging legislative proposals in numerous states and in the federal government as well as stepped up efforts at self-regulation by the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. Policymakers face the decision of whether to defer to self-regulation or support government intervention. This commentary describes efforts at self-regulation by the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. The author examines and critiques the wide ranging legislative strategies pursued to limit the influence of pharmaceutical gifts on physicians and concludes with suggestions for policymakers and the profession to limit influence and preserve public trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more Americans are gaining insurance coverage but often have high deductibles and significant out-of-pocket cost sharing. Deductibles routinely exceed $1,000 and often approach $5,000. In this essay, I share our family's experience attempting to navigate urgent medical decisions in a high-deductible health plan. In accessing urgent care for our child's fracture, we unknowingly encountered a 10-fold variation for what should be routine, low-cost technology (ie, plain film x-ray). Though the financial consequences for our family were minimal, for many families with high-deductible plans the financial implications are enormous. Through this experience, I learned that the principles of consumer-directed health care-that patients can and should price shop for care-are flawed in urgent and emergent situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the US health-care system continues on a path toward greater patient and provider dissatisfaction and decreasing access to primary health services, there is a growing need for leadership among tomorrow's health professionals. Students of today must acquire the skills to lead the United States toward solutions that will offer universal access and eliminate disparities. As examined in the US, there are two main modes for students to learn these meaningful skills; curriculum- and institution-based leadership development and organiz ation-based leadership development. In this paper we review these two methods from an American perspective and discuss ways that educational institutions can support student leadership development. In addition, we address ways in which non-governmental organiz ations can provide opportunities to foster student leadership. Lastly, we offer recommendations for US policy change at institutional, local, state, and national levels to help achieve the goals stated above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]