Journal of general internal medicine
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Over 25 million US inhabitants are limited English proficient (LEP). It is unknown whether physicians fluent in non-English languages are training in geographic areas with the highest proportion of LEP people. Diversity of language ability in the physician workforce is an important complement to language assistance services for providing quality care to LEP patients. ⋯ We found considerable misalignment of the geographic distribution of non-English language-speaking resident physicians relative to the distribution of the LEP-speaking population. Residency programs in areas of high need could consider better matching the non-English language needs of their community with the language abilities of the resident physicians they are recruiting.
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The association between pharmaceutical industry promotion and physician opioid prescribing is poorly understood. Whether the influence of industry gifts on prescribing varies by specialty is unknown. ⋯ The value of opioid-related gifts given to physicians varies substantially by provider specialty, as does the relationship between payment amounts and prescriber behavior in the following year.
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Research demonstrates that the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is associated with improved clinical outcomes and quality of care, and the populations that can most benefit from this model require long-term management, e.g., persons with chronic illness and behavioral health conditions. However, different populations may not benefit equally from the PCMH, and empirical evidence about the effects of this model on racial disparities is limited. ⋯ While PCMH enrollment may improve the overall quality of care, the effect is inconsistent across racial groups and not always associated with reductions in racial disparities in quality.