A Few Doctors Will See Some of You: The Critical Role of Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) Family Physicians in the Care of Medicaid Beneficiaries

PLAIN LANGUAGE ARTICLE SUMMMARY

Original Research 

Underrepresented in Medicine Family Physicians Have Critical Role in the Care of Medicaid Patients

Background and Goal: While underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) physicians are a key to better health outcomes for minority patients, the proportion of URiM physicians — such as Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American physicians remains low in the U.S. health care system. This study examines the diversity of the family physician workforce that cares for Medicaid beneficiaries by linking a unique dataset containing information on family physicians’ race and ethnicity to national-level Medicaid claims data. 

Study Approach:Researchers analyzed data from 13,096 family physicians across 44 states, using 2016 Medicaid claims data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) and 2016-17 American Board of Family Medicine certification questionnaire responses. The diversity Family Physicians’ Medicaid patient panel and whether they saw at least 150 beneficiaries in 2016 was examined. 

Main Results:

• URiM family physicians, particularly Black and Hispanic/Latino family physicians, are significantly more likely to participate in Medicaid by treating a substantial number of Medicaid patients.

• Black and Hispanic/Latino family physicians were more likely to be core Medicaid providers defined as seeing at least 150 beneficiaries in 2016.

• The patient panels of URiM family physicians had a much higher proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries from racial and ethnic minorities.

Why It Matters:The findings of this study suggest physician race and ethnicity are correlated with Medicaid participation, emphasizing the need to continue efforts to diversify the health care workforce. Policies need to address pipeline problems in medical education, including failures to recruit, nurture and retain URiM students. 

A Few Doctors Will See Some of You: The Critical Role of Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) Family Physicians in the Care of Medicaid Beneficiaries    

Anushree Vichare, PhD, MBBS, MPH, et al

Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Visual abstract showcasing key findings from this study: