Physician Compensation

Is there a physician available?

According to research by Leech et al. (2018), the answer may depend on whether or not you are black or white.

Compared to the control group, “Black” auditors were less likely to be told an office was accepting new patients and were more likely to experience both withholding behaviors and misattributions about public insurance. The strength of associations varied according to whether the cue was based on name or accent. 

In short, if you sound black or if your name seems black, then your chances of getting an appointment at a doctor go down.

Once a patient was able to access a doctor, however, a study by Fenton et al. (2019) found evidence that the quality of care received was the same across races.

better patient experience for white than black beneficiaries in most counties for Getting Needed Care and especially for Getting Care Quickly. In contrast, black and white beneficiaries reported similar patient experience regarding Doctor Communication in most counties. 

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