Hispanic/Latino patients do not enjoy equitable access to health care treatment or resources. Systemic racism has severely limited Hispanic/Latino patients’ opportunities to productively engage with the health care system, and the results are negative patient experiences and outcomes. Hispanic/Latino patients …
Rural-residing patients encounter roadblocks when they need health care. These patients likely live a considerable geographic distance from providers and facilities, the facilities themselves are far from one another, and there is a shortage of clinicians. Providers who serve in …
Indigenous/American Indian/Alaska Native patients face considerable obstacles when accessing health care, resulting in lower life expectancy, increased mortality from preventable chronic diseases, and the highest rate of kidney failure from diabetes of any race. These disparities are rooted in historical …
The United States healthcare system was not designed with Black/African American patients in mind, nor has it adapted to serve the unique health-related social needs of Black people. Historic and modern racist practices, from discriminatory laws and policies to lack …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) defines health-related social needs (HRSN) as unmet, adverse social and economic conditions that contribute to a patient’s poor health and affect their ability to maintain well-being. Unemployment, food insecurity, and lack of …
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) administers the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) program, which creates surveys to evaluate patients’ experiences with ambulatory and facility-level care in commercial and Medicaid plans. The Healthcare Effectiveness Data …
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefits provide comprehensive and preventive health care services for children under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid. Federal statutes and regulations require that EPSDT preventative, dental, mental, developmental, and specialty services …
According to the NIH, an estimated 21 million adults experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2020. Clinicians understand that female gender, social isolation, and disturbed family environment increase risk, but may not recognize presenting symptoms of depression in …
Clinicians face considerable hurdles when diagnosing and managing narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), largely due to overlapping symptoms, insufficient formal training in sleep medicine, and limited recognition of associated psychiatric and cardiometabolic comorbidities. Compounding the challenge, some therapeutic agents—most notably …