Donna McAlpine

Racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and access disparities in the use of preventive services among women.

BACKGROUND In this article we estimate the variations in receipt of age-appropriate preventive services among adult women between 21 and 64 years of age, by race and ethnic group, socioeconomic status, and access to health care. We also assess whether differences in access to care and socioeconomic status may explain racial and ethnic differences in the use of preventive services. METHOD Nationally representative data on adult women from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used to estimate the effect of socioeconomic characteristics on the receipt of each preventive service. Receipt of each of four preventive services-cholesterol test, blood pressure reading, and two cancer screening tests (Papanicolaou smear, mammogram)-according to the 1996 recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force were examined. RESULTS An overwhelming majority of adult women (93%) had had a blood pressure reading within the last 2 years. Eighty-four percent of women had had their cholesterol checked within the last 5 years. Seventy-five percent of women had received a mammogram and 80% received Pap tests. College education, high income, usual source of care, and health insurance consistently predicted use of preventive services. These factors also explained ethnic disparities in the receipt of preventive services between Latinas and white women. CONCLUSIONS The results from our study are encouraging because only a minority of women do not receive age-appropriate preventive services. However, low socioeconomic status, lack of insurance, and lack of a usual source of care represent significant barriers to preventive care for adult women.

Management of mental health and substance abuse services: state of the art and early results

Managed care (MC) refers to capitated practice (HMOs), utilization management (UM), and programs of case management for persons with mental illness and problems of substance abuse. These approaches differ substantially, and within each type are variations. Management of mental health and substance abuse services is increasingly prevalent, often sharply reducing costs. Savings result from reducing inpatient hospitalization and, sometimes, by substituting less expensive services for more costly ones. Most studies of managed care, however, measure costs narrowly, neglecting shifts in costs to patients, professionals, families, and the larger community. Strategies typical of HMOs and UM may result in lower-quality care for persons with serious mental illness and problems of substance abuse. Studies on this topic are reviewed, an analytic frame of reference is presented, and research needs are defined.

Barriers to physical and mental condition integrated service delivery

Objective: To assess pragmatic challenges faced when implementing, delivering, and sustaining models of integrated mental health intervention in primary care settings. Thirty percent of primary care patients with chronic medical conditions and up to 80% of those with health complexity have mental health comorbidity, yet primary care clinics rarely include onsite mental health professionals and only one in eight patients receive evidence-based mental health treatment. Integrating specialty mental health into primary care improves outcomes for patients with common disorders, such as depression. Methods: We used key informant interviews documenting barriers to implementation and components that inhibited or enhanced operational success at 11 nationally established integrated physical and mental condition primary care programs. Results: All but one key informant indicated that the greatest barrier to the creation and sustainability of integrated mental condition care in primary care settings was financial challenges introduced by segregated physical and mental health reimbursement practices. For integrated physical and mental health program initiation and outcome changing care to be successful, key components included a clinical and administrative champion-led culture shift, which valued an outcome orientation; cross-disciplinary training and accountability; use of care managers; consolidated clinical record systems; a multidisease, total population focus; and active, respectful coordination of colocated interdisciplinary clinical services. Conclusions: Correction of disparate physical and mental health reimbursement practices is an important activity in the development of sustainable integrated physical and mental condition care in primary care settings, such as a medical home. Multiple clinical, administrative, and economic factors contribute to operational success. HMO = health maintenance organization; VA = Veterans Administration.

Gender stratification and mental health : An exploration of dimensions of the self

Recent evidence, showing that gender differences in depression and antisocial behavior originate in early adolescence, points to the importance of socialization and dimensions of the self in understanding the higher rates of internalizing disorders among females and higher rates of externalizing disorders among males. We review theories and research that link gender stratification to dimensions of the self and, through this, to gender differences in disorders. These theories and evidence further suggest that girls and boys differ in the boundaries drawn between the self and others. Ranging from high degrees of connectedness to high degrees of separation, such boundaries are conceptualized as peoples basic operating assumptions about social relationships. An analysis of empathy provides a preliminary test of the contribution of boundary assumptions to explaining gender differences in internalizing and externalizing disorders.

Barriers to care among american indians in public health care programs

Objective:We sought to examine the extent to which reported barriers to health care services differ between American Indians (AIs) and non-Hispanic Whites (Whites). Methods:A statewide stratified random sample of Minnesota health care program enrollees was surveyed. Responses from AI and White adult enrollees (n = 1281) and parents of child enrollees (n = 572) were analyzed using logistic regression models that account for the complex sample design. Barriers examined include: financial, access, and cultural barriers, confidence/trust in providers, and discrimination. Results:Both AIs and Whites report barriers to health care access. However, a greater proportion of AIs report barriers in most categories. Among adults, AIs are more likely to report racial discrimination, cultural misunderstandings, family/work responsibilities, and transportation difficulties, whereas Whites are more likely to report being unable to see their preferred doctor. A higher proportion of adult enrollees compared with parents of child enrollees report barriers in most categories; however, differences between parents of AIs and White children are more substantial. In addition to racial discrimination and cultural misunderstandings, parents of AI children are more likely than parents of White enrollees to report limited clinic hours, lack of respect for religious beliefs, and mistrust of their childs provider as barriers. Conclusions:Although individuals have enrolled in health care programs and have access to care, barriers to using these services remain. Significant differences between AIs and Whites involve issues of trust, respect, and discrimination. Providers must address barriers experienced by AIs to improve accessibility, acceptability, and quality of care for AI health care consumers.

Trends in obesity-related counseling in primary care: 1995-2004

Objective:We sought to ascertain whether the percentage of visits in which physicians provided obesity-related counseling services increased between 1995 and 2004. Method:Data came from the 1995 to 2004 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, an annual national survey of visits to office-based physicians. Analyses are restricted to visits by adults to a primary care physician (PCP; general/family or internal medicine). The main outcome measure is the percentage of visits to physicians where patients were counseled about exercise, diet/nutrition or weight loss. Results:Sample sizes ranged from 9,583 to 14,071. In 2003/2004, approximately 20% of visits to PCPs included counseling for diet/nutrition, 14% for exercise, and 6% for weight loss. Approximately 24% of visits included at least one of these types of counseling. The odds of receiving counseling for any of these services were 22% lower in 2001/2002 and 18% lower in 2003/2004 compared with 1995/1996. Patients who went to the doctor for weight-related concerns or with an obesity-related diagnosis were more likely to receive counseling than the general population. Longer visits were associated with greater probability of obesity-related counseling. Conclusions:Obesity-related counseling does not appear to be a substantial part of the services provided by physicians. Further efforts in developing interventions that can be used by physicians and demonstrating their effectiveness within clinical practice are needed.

Increasing response rates in a survey of Medicaid enrollees: the effect of a prepaid monetary incentive and mixed modes (mail and telephone).

Objectives:We sought to evaluate the effect of pairing a mixed-mode mail and telephone methodology with a prepaid

Are lower response rates hazardous to your health survey? An analysis of three state telephone health surveys.

2.00 cash incentive on response rates in a survey of Medicaid enrollees stratified by race and ethnicity. Research Design:Sampling was conducted in 2 stages. The first stage consisted of a simple random sample (SRS) of Medicaid enrollees. In the second stage, American Indian, African American, Latino, Hmong, and Somali enrollees were randomly sampled. A total of 8412 enrollees were assigned randomly to receive a mail survey with no incentive or a

General Medical and Pharmacy Claims Expenditures in Users of Behavioral Health Services

2.00 bill. Results:The response rate within the SRS after the mail portion was 54% in the incentive group and 45% in the nonincentive group. Response rates increased considerably with telephone follow-ups. The incentive SRS response rate increased to 69%, and the nonincentive response rate increased to 64%. Differences between incentive conditions are more pronounced after the first mailing (P < 0.01); almost all differences remained significant (P < 0.05) after the completion of the mail mode. The inclusion of the

Access And Cost Barriers To Mental Health Care, By Insurance Status, 1999–2010

2.00 incentive had similar effects on response rates and cost across the different racial and ethnic strata, except for Latino enrollees. Conclusions:A mixed-mode mail and telephone methodology is effective for increasing response rates in a Medicaid population overall and within different racial and ethnic groupings. The effectiveness of this strategy can be enhanced, in terms of response rate and cost, by including a