Providers and receivers in the private psychiatric Medicaid system

The authors investigated the credentials of foreign medical graduate (FMG) and U.S. medical graduate (USMG) psychiatrists providing a substantial amount of Medicaid care and compared them with those of a group of other psychiatric practitioners in New York City. USMGs were more likely to be Board certified, but FMGs were as likely to have APA membership, psychoanalytic training, medical school and hopsital affiliation, and fellowships. The credentials of the Medicaid psychiatrists and the group of New York psychiatrists were similar. Hispanic FMG psychiatrists provided a major service for the Spanish-speaking community, but the poor black population underused Medicaid services. Diagnosis did not appear to be influenced by racial bias.