The Impact of Race on Patient Satisfaction With Primary Care Physicians

Patient satisfaction has become an important measure of health care services and outcomes. The purpose of this empirical study was to investigate factors that impact the satisfaction of primary care physicians (PCPs) by patients of different races in the United States. This is an empirical analysis of the Center for Studying Health System Change's 2010 Health Tracking Household Survey. Correlation and regression analyses were done to examine the impact of various factors on PCP satisfaction of 12 472 American respondents. Whites were most satisfied with their PCPs, and Hispanics were least satisfied with their PCPs. Satisfaction with health care received in the last 12 months and the need to defer medical treatment due to financial issues had a significant impact on patients' satisfaction with PCPs across all races. General health status significantly impacted satisfaction with PCPs for African American and Hispanic respondents. Satisfaction with PCPs significantly varied among different races based on the type of their health insurance. Education negatively impacted PCP satisfaction of white and non-Hispanic respondents. Satisfaction with PCPs varies based on the race of patients. It can be impacted by a number of factors outside the control of the physician such as the general health of patients, type of insurance, and patients' need to defer medical treatment due to financial issues. The use of patient satisfaction surveys by health care administrators to measure organizational outcomes may have limited validity.