This study examined access to care and satisfaction among health center patients with chronic conditions. Data for this study were obtained from the 2009 Health Center Patient Survey. Dependent variables of interest included 5 measures of access to and satisfaction with care, whereas the main independent variable was number of chronic conditions. Results of bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regressions showed that patients with chronic conditions had significantly higher odds of reporting access barriers than those without chronic conditions. Our results suggested that additional efforts and resources are necessary to address the needs of health center patients with chronic conditions.

IntroductionRacial and ethnic disparities exist in diabetes prevalence, access to diabetes care, diabetes-related complications and mortality rates, and the quality of diabetes care among Americans. We explored racial and ethnic disparities in primary care quality among Americans with type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe analyzed data on adults with type 2 diabetes derived from the household component of the 2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Multiple regression and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the association between race/ethnicity and primary care attributes related to first contact, longitudinality, comprehensiveness, and coordination, and clusters of confounding factors were added sequentially.ResultsPreliminary findings indicated differences in primary care quality between racial/ethnic minorities and whites across measures of first contact, longitudinality, comprehensiveness, and coordination. After controlling for confounding factors, these differences were no longer apparent; all racial/ethnic categories showed similar rates of primary care quality according to the 4 primary care domains of interest in the study.ConclusionResults indicate equitable primary care quality for type 2 diabetes patients across 4 key domains of primary care after controlling for socioeconomic characteristics. Additional research is necessary to support these findings, particularly when considering smaller racial/ethnic groups and investigating outcomes related to diabetes.

These results affirmed the role of health centers in providing high-quality primary care and reducing disparities. However, continual efforts are needed to enhance access to and quality of care for MSFWs.