COVID‐19 placed incredible strain on health care systems and the global health workforce. The pandemic rapidly increased demand for health care services and created an acute need for the health workforce in many areas of care. Yet, it also brought the health workforce to the forefront of the policy agenda and revealed many innovative solutions…
Pediatric medical subspecialists offer care to children with uncommon or atypical health issues, those who haven’t responded well to standard primary care treatments, or those requiring specialized diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Evaluating whether the number and distribution of these subspecialists meet the needs of the nation’s children is difficult due to a lack of evidence…
The physician assistant (PA) profession is among the least racially and ethnically diverse health professions requiring advanced education. Between 1995 and 2020, the percentage of Black PA graduates fell from 7% to 3.1%, while Hispanic representation increased from 4.5% to 7.9%. PA programs that transitioned from bachelor’s to master’s degrees experienced a 5.3% point decline…
Numerous areas of the United States have an inadequate supply of primary care physicians and the shortfall is expected to grow and spread. To address these concerns, as well as to improve the quality of the care delivered, health policy experts have recommended that medical practices transform to embrace “team-based” care, encouraging a broader range…
Many areas of the US have an inadequate supply of primary care physicians and the insufficiency is expected to increase. To address these concerns, as well as to improve the quality of the care delivered, health policy experts have recommended that medical practices transform and embrace “team-based” care, encouraging a broader range of medical staff…
Community health centers (CHCs) represent an important and unique component of America’s health care system. Because of their mission of comprehensive and community-oriented primary care, CHCs typically provide a broader array of services than most other American medical practice settings. This report describes the changes in the workforce of community health centers from 2007 to…
Many healthcare organizations in the US have pursued new staffing or team arrangements to meet the challenges of increasing access to care, improving quality, and controlling costs. While much has been written about “health workforce innovation”, the field lacks a comprehensive framework to classify existing innovations and guide the development of new research questions. This…
New payment incentives are encouraging an increasing number of primary care practices to take the steps necessary to be certified as patient-centered medical homes (PCMH). Despite this growing interest in team-based care, little is known about how leaders of primary care facilities decide on the types of providers and support staff to hire, and how…
Significant Federal investments have motivated many community health centers (CHCs) to implement electronic health records (EHRs) in recent years. Because CHCs are known to use flexible and innovative staffing models, their uptake of EHRs creates a unique opportunity to study how new technology intersects with staffing changes to influence care delivery. This report helps to…
Telehealth has long been viewed as an important pathway for increasing access to care for underserved populations, while providing high quality care at low cost. The spread of telehealth in the United States, however, has been hampered by a range of reimbursement, equipment costs, and licensure barriers. This report examines the extent to which…
