Access to specialty care and medical services in community health centers
Nakela L Cook1, LeRoi S Hicks, A James O'Malley
1Health Care Policy Department, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Abstract:
Although community health centers (CHCs) provide primary health services to the medically underserved and poor, limited access to off-site specialty services may lead to poorer outcomes among underinsured CHC patients. This study evaluates access to specialty health services for patients receiving care in CHCs, using a survey of medical directors of all federally qualified CHCs in the United States in 2004. Respondents reported that uninsured patients had greater difficulty obtaining access to off-site specialty services, including referrals and diagnostic testing, than did patients with Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance.
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