Overview of the Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Populations

Cost, Quality, Access to Care

Introduction Certain populations in the United States face greater challenges in accessing timely and needed health care services They are at risk for poor physical, psychological and/or social health

Underserved Areas & Populations

National Budget Expenditures

Terminology These populations are called: Underserved populations Medically underserved Medically disadvantaged Underprivileged American under classes

Population Health Issues

Introduction Their vulnerability is due to: Unequal social, economic, health and geographic conditions They consist of: Racial and ethnic minorities Uninsured children Women Those living in rural areas Homeless Mentally Ill Chronically ill and disabled HIV/AIDS patients

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations Racial/Ethnic Minorities Women and Children Geographical Distribution: Rural Health

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations Vulnerability Model: an integrated approach to studying vulnerability Vulnerability: denotes susceptibility to negative events In health care, vulnerability is the likelihood of experiencing poor health or illness

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations Poor health is compounded for problems along multiple dimensions Vulnerability represents the interaction effects of multiple factors over which many do not have control

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations Vulnerability is determined by a convergence of: Predisposing Enabling Need Characteristics at both the individual and ecological level They converge and determine access to care and influence individuals’ risk of contracting illness

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations Understanding vulnerability as a combination or convergence of disparate factors is preferred over studying individual factors separately

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations The Vulnerability Model has distinctive characteristics: It is comprehensive, including individual and ecological attributes of risk It focuses on the attributes of vulnerability for the total population rather than on vulnerable traits of subpopulations

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations It emphasizes the convergence of vulnerability Multiple vulnerable traits may lead to cumulative vulnerability that is additive or multiplicative

Framework to Study Vulnerable Populations Attributes that predispose vulnerability include: Demographic characteristics Belief Systems Social Structures variables These attributes influence vulnerability status They are associated with social position, status, access to resources, health behaviors and variations in health status

Race/Ethnic Minorities In 1997 The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) included race and ethnicity to reflect diversity Minimum categories of race include: Black, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and White OMB included 2 ethnicities: Hispanic and Latino

Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Racial/Ethnic Minorities Significant differences exist across the various racial/ethnic groups on health Minority race and ethnicity usually serves as a proxy for factors such as: socioeconomic status, language ability, or cultural behaviors that are correlated with health status and health care experiences Racial/ethnic minorities have poorer access, receive poorer-quality care and greater deficits in health status.

Racial/Ethnic Minorities Consistently over decades of research: Minorities have poor access to health services compared with white counterparts even after considering insurance, socioeconomics, and health status The most commonly used measure of access is whether or not a person has a regular or usual source of care

Vulnerable Women and Children

Women and Children Women in the U.S. enjoy a life expectancy almost eight years longer than that of men, but they: -Have a higher prevalence of health problems over their lifetime -Develop more acute and chronic illnesses resulting in more short and long term disabilities

Women and Children Have a higher percentage of deaths at all ages for heart disease and stroke Have the highest growing population diagnosed with AIDS Suffer greater morbidity and poorer health outcomes Differences between men and women are equally pronounced for mental illness

Women and Children Children’s health has unique aspects of delivery such as: developmental vulnerability, dependency, and patterns of morbidity and mortality Developmental vulnerability refers to: the rapid and cumulative physical and emotional changes that characterize childhood and the effects that illness, injury or untoward family and social circumstances can have on a child’s life.

Women and Children Dependency means: the special circumstances children face where others have to recognize and respond to their health needs. Children are increasingly affected by “new morbidities” such as: -Drug and alcohol abuse -Family and neighborhood violence -Emotional disorders -Learning problems

Rural Health Care

Geographic Distribution: Rural Health Poverty: is consistent in rural areas and affects access Geographic mal-distribution creates a shortage of health care professionals in rural settings which is another dimension of poor health care delivery Rural populations face greater barriers in access to care

Geographic Distribution: Rural Health To improve access in rural America there is: The National Health Service Corps Health Manpower Shortage Areas Medically Underserved Areas Community and Migrant Health Centers Rural Health Clinics Acts

Enabling Characteristics These include: Socioeconomic status Individual assets Mediating factors

Enabling Characteristics Socioeconomic status is associated with social position, access to resources, variations in health status, income, education, employment status and occupation Individual assets (human capital) contributes to one’s ability to be self-sufficient Mediating factors are associated with the use of health care services (e.g. health insurance, access to and quality health care)

Enabling Characteristics Uninsured tend to: Be poor and less educated Work in part-time jobs and/or are employed by small firms Be younger (25-40) Be ethnic minorities

Enabling Characteristics Homelessness The homeless face several barriers to adequate and appropriate health care: Financial barriers Problems in satisfying eligibility requirements for health insurance Transportation Lack of sanitation, a stable place to store medicines Inability to buy/get nutritious food

Enabling Characteristics Federal Initiatives to Eliminate Socioeconomic disparities Programs that have helped eliminate socioeconomic differences: -Community Health Center Program -National Health Service Corps -Public Housing Primary Care Program -Health Schools, Health Communities Program -Health Care for the Homeless Program

Need Characteristics Mental Health Chronic Illness/Disability HIV/AIDS

Need Characteristics Self-perceived or professionally-evaluated health status refers to: -self-perceived physical and mental health status and diagnoses of disease and illness from a health professional

Mental Health

Mental Health Mental illness ranks second, after ischemic heart disease, as a burden on health and productivity Mental illness is a risk factor for death from suicide, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Mental Health Most mental health services are provided in the general medicine sector, rather than through formal mental health specialist services This is a concept first described by Regier and colleagues as the de facto mental health service system

Mental Health The nation’s mental health system is composed of two subsystems: One, primarily for individuals with insurance coverage or private funds and The other for those without private means of coverage.

Chronic Illness/Disability

Chronic Illness/Disability Chronic conditions are characterized by persistent and reoccurring health consequences lasting over a long period, which are generally irreversible Chronic illness and disability pose unique challenges to a health car m m l;e system that is primarily oriented towards treating acute illness.

Quality Outcomes

References Benson, K (2010). Winthrop University King & Wheeler (2007). Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Patients. McGraw Hill.