Assuring Children’s Access to Pediatric Subspecialty Care in California
Organization: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Primary Contact: Daphna Gans, PhD
Grant Amount: $45,314 for less than 6 months
Date Awarded:
Date Completed:
Purpose
To study the current problems, identify new approaches, and develop policy recommendations to improve access to pediatric subspecialty care in California.
Outcome
In California and nationally, there is concern within the child health care community about the adequacy of access to pediatric subspecialists. Problems with access are related to actual shortages of physicians trained and practicing in some subspecialties, maldistribution of pediatric subspecialists, race/ethnicity and language barriers. In some locales, subspecialty care is more readily available to patients with private insurance, though California’s Children’s Services (CCS) program addresses this issue for eligible children. Privately insured children may not have as ready access to care at children’s hospitals depending on their insurers’ arrangements. This project identified and confirmed these barriers to access and provided a series of recommendations to addressing them.
