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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. 

Related Resources

This policy note, prepared by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and funded by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, explores disparities in access to pediatric subspecialty care in California by insurance coverage, geographic location, race/ethnicity, and language. The paper proposes recommendations to ensure adequate access to pediatric subspecialty care.