COVID-19 Federal Funding To Health Centers: Tracking Distribution, Locations, And Patient Characteristics.

In 2020 and 2021, health centers received federal funding to support their COVID-19 pandemic response, yet little is known about how the funds were distributed. This study identified ten sources of funding distributed to 1,352 centers, ranging from $19 to $1.22 billion per center. When we examined patient and organizational characteristics by quartiles of funding per patient, health centers in the highest-funded quartile (quartile 4) were more likely rural and in the South; employed lower percentages of physicians; and had the highest percentages of sicker, uninsured, and unhoused patients. Centers in the lowest-funded quartile (quartile 1) were more likely urban, employed lower percentages of nurse practitioners, and had the highest percentages of Medicaid enrollees. With the end of pandemic-related funding in 2023, combined with Medicaid unwinding concerns, targeted investment is needed to mitigate a financial cliff and help maintain health centers' capacity to provide high-quality services to those most in need.

Association of Federal COVID-19 Funding Distributions With Workforce and Capacity in Health Centers.

Using novel national data, we examined the association between 2020 federal COVID-related funding targeted to health centers (i.e., H8 funding) and health center workforce and operational capacity measures that may be important for preserving patient access to care and staff safety. We assigned health centers to quartiles based on federal funding distribution per patient and used adjusted linear probability models to estimate differences in workforce and operational capacity outcomes across quartiles from April 2020 to June 2022. We found a nearly 6-fold difference in 2020 H8 funding per patient when comparing health centers in the lowest versus highest quartiles. Despite this difference, health centers' outcomes improved similarly across quartiles over time, with the lowest-funded health centers having the greatest staffing and service capacity challenges. Our findings suggest that COVID-related health center funding may have contributed to stabilization of health centers' workforce and operations. Amid concerns about staff turnover, sustained investments targeted to supporting workforce retention at health centers can help to ensure ongoing delivery of critical services.

Burnout, Exhaustion, Experiences of Discrimination, and Stress Among Underrepresented and First-Generation College Students in Graduate Health Profession Education.

OBJECTIVES: Mental health disorders are increasing among health profession students. Compounding this, students from underrepresented backgrounds may face additional stressors and challenges. The aims of this study were to: (1) assess the extent to which burnout, exhaustion, experiences of discrimination, and stress exist among students in dentistry, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and physical therapist professional education programs; (2) determine if there are significant differences by key demographic characteristics (those who are first-generation college students [FGCSs], a member of an underrepresented minority [URM] group, or both); and (3) highlight strategies and solutions to alleviate these challenges identified by students. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey using a mix of question types of a sample of graduate students from dentistry, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and physical therapy programs from February to June 2020. Utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey and campus climate and stress survey, mean subscale scores were calculated for the following outcomes of interest: MBI-SS burnout, dimensions of stress, and observed racism. Logistic regressions examined student factors that may help explain these outcomes. Content analysis examined participants' responses to open-ended questions. RESULTS: There were 611 individuals who completed all survey questions. FGCSs were significantly more likely than non-FGCSs to report exhaustion (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.50; 95% CI = 1.04-2.16), family stress (aOR: 3.11; 95% CI = 2.13-4.55), and financial stress (aOR: 1.74; 95% CI = 1.21-2.50). URM students reported not feeling supported in their program and mentioned needing additional support, particularly for well-being, from staff and faculty. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study are consistent with literature that FGCSs experience additional stressors that may lead to burnout and exhaustion. URM students reported not feeling supported in their programs. This study's findings point to the need for leadership and faculty of health professional schools to implement or strengthen current policies, practices, and strategies that support URM students and FGCSs. IMPACT: Research demonstrates that a diverse student body and faculty enhances the educational experience for health professional students, and that diversity strengthens the learning environment and improves learning outcomes, preparing students to care for an increasingly diverse population. However, this study finds that students from underrepresented backgrounds may still experience more burnout, exhaustion, discrimination, and stress than their peers. Programs and policies to support URM students and FGCSs throughout their academic careers can help improve graduation and retention rates, leading to improved workforce diversity.

The gender wage gap among health care workers across educational and occupational groups.

Women perform 77% of health care jobs in the United States, but gender inequity within the health care sector harms women's compensation and advancement in health care jobs. Using data from 2003 to 2021 of the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), we measured women's representation and the gender wage gap in health care jobs by educational level and occupational category. We found, descriptively, that women's representation in health care occupations has increased over time in occupations that require a master's or doctoral/professional degree (eg, physicians, therapists), while men's representation has increased slightly in nursing occupations (eg, registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, aides, and assistants). The adjusted wage gap between women and men is the largest among workers in high-education health care (eg, physicians, advanced practitioners) but has decreased substantially over the last 20 years, while, descriptively, the gender wage gap has stagnated or grown larger in some lower education occupations. Our policy recommendations include gender equity reviews within health care organizations, prioritizing women managers, and realigning Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policies to promote greater gender equity within and across health care occupations.

Is More Always Better? Financially Motivated Therapy and Patient Outcomes in Skilled Nursing Facilities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if financially motivated therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) is associated with patient outcomes. DESIGN: Cohort study using 2018 Medicare administrative data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 13,949 SNFs in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: 934,677 Medicare Part A patients admitted to SNF for post-acute rehabilitation (N=934,677). INTERVENTIONS: The primary independent variable was an indicator of financially motivated therapy, separate from intensive therapy, known as thresholding, defined as when SNFs provide 10 or fewer minutes of therapy above weekly reimbursement thresholds. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dichotomous indicators of successful discharge to the community vs institution and functional improvement on measures of transfers, ambulation, or locomotion. Mixed effects models estimated relations between thresholding and community discharge and functional improvement, adjusted for therapy intensity, patient, and facility characteristics. Sensitivity analyses estimated associations between thresholding and outcomes when patients were stratified by therapy volume. RESULTS: Thresholding was associated with a small positive effect on functional improvement (odds ratio 1.07; 95% CI 1.06-1.09) and community discharge (odds ratio 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.05). Effect sizes for functional improvement were consistent across patients receiving different volumes of therapy. However, effect sizes for community discharge were largest for patients in low-volume therapy groups (odds ratio 1.27, 95% CI 1.18-1.35). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who experienced thresholding during post-acute SNF stays were slightly more likely to improve in function and successfully discharge to the community, especially for patients receiving lower volumes of therapy. While thresholding is an inefficient and financially motivated practice, results suggest that even small amounts of extra therapy time may have contributed positively to outcomes for patients receiving lower-volume therapy. As therapy volumes decline in SNFs, these results emphasize the importance of Medicare payment policy designed to promote, not disincentivize, potentially beneficial rehabilitation services for patients.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Community Pharmacy Workforce.

This study sought to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on community pharmacy practice and its workforce. Interviews were conducted with 18 key informants from pharmacy associations and community pharmacists representing chain and independent pharmacy organizations across the United States from January to May 2022. Interview notes were analyzed using a rapid content analysis approach. Four themes resulted: (a) patient care at community pharmacies focused on fulfilling COVID-19 response needs; (b) pharmacists' history as immunizers and scope of practice expansions facilitated COVID-19 response efforts; (c) workforce supply shortages impeded COVID-19 response efforts and contributed to burnout; and (d) maintaining community pharmacy workforce's readiness will be critical to future emergency preparedness and response efforts. Formalizing scope of practice expansion policies and reimbursement pathways deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic could facilitate the community pharmacy workforce's ability to address ongoing public health needs and respond to future public health emergencies.

Documenting Latino Representation In The US Health Workforce.

We compared the representation of the four largest Latino subpopulation groups in the health workforce with that group's representation in the US workforce, using 2016-20 data. Mexican Americans were the most underrepresented subpopulation in professions requiring advanced degrees. All groups were overrepresented in occupations requiring less than a bachelor's degree. Among recent health professions graduates, overall Latino representation has been increasing over time.

Disability competency training in medical education.

PURPOSE: Lack of health care providers' knowledge about the experience and needs of individuals with disabilities contribute to health care disparities experienced by people with disabilities. Using the Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education, this mixed methods study aimed to explore the extent the Core Competencies are addressed in medical education programs and the facilitators and barriers to expanding curricular integration. METHOD: Mixed-methods design with an online survey and individual qualitative interviews was used. An online survey was distributed to U.S. medical schools. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted via Zoom with five key informants. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Fourteen medical schools responded to the survey. Many schools reported addressing most of the Core Competencies. The extent of disability competency training varied across medical programs with the majority showing limited opportunities for in depth understanding of disability. Most schools had some, although limited, engagement with people with disabilities. Having faculty champions was the most frequent facilitator and lack of time in the curriculum was the most significant barrier to integrating more learning activities. Qualitative interviews provided more insight on the influence of the curricular structure and time and the importance of faculty champion and resources. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the need for better integration of disability competency training woven throughout medical school curriculum to encourage in-depth understanding about disability. Formal inclusion of the Core Competencies into the Liaison Committee on Medical Education standards can help ensure that disability competency training does not rely on champions or resources.

Changes in Performance Measures and Service Volume at US Federally Qualified Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Stay-at-home orders, site closures, staffing shortages, and competing COVID-19 testing and treatment needs all potentially decreased primary care access and quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges may have especially affected federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which serve patients with low income nationwide. Objective: To examine changes in FQHCs' quality-of-care measures and visit volumes in 2020 to 2021 vs prepandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used a census of US FQHCs to calculate changes in outcomes between 2016 and 2021 using generalized estimating equations. Main Outcomes and Measures: Twelve quality-of-care measures and 41 visit types based on diagnoses and services rendered, measured at the FQHC-year level. Results: A total of 1037 FQHCs were included, representing 26.6 million patients (63% 18-64 years old; 56% female) in 2021. Despite upward trajectories for most measures prepandemic, the percentage of patients served by FQHCs receiving recommended care or achieving recommended clinical thresholds showed a statistically significant decrease between 2019 and 2020 for 10 of 12 quality measures. For example, declines were observed for cervical cancer screening (-3.8 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI, -4.3 to -3.2 pp), depression screening (-7.0 pp; 95% CI, -8.0 to -5.9 pp), and blood pressure control in patients with hypertension (-6.5 pp; 95% CI, -7.0 to -6.0 pp). By 2021, only 1 of these 10 measures returned to 2019 levels. From 2019 to 2020, 28 of 41 visit types showed a statistically significant decrease, including immunizations (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.76; 95% CI, 0.73-0.78), oral examinations (IRR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.59-0.63), and supervision of infant or child health (IRR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.85-0.89); 11 of these 28 visits approximated or exceeded prepandemic rates by 2021, while 17 remained below prepandemic rates. Five visit types increased in 2020, including substance use disorder (IRR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.11), depression (IRR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.09), and anxiety (IRR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.14-1.19); all 5 continued to increase in 2021. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of US FQHCs, nearly all quality measures declined during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with most declines persisting through 2021. Similarly, most visit types declined in 2020; 60% of these remained below prepandemic levels in 2021. By contrast, mental health and substance use visits increased in both years. The pandemic led to forgone care and likely exacerbated behavioral health needs. As such, FQHCs need sustained federal funding to expand service capacity, staffing, and patient outreach. Quality reporting and value-based care models must also adapt to the pandemic's influence on quality measures.

The Workforce Needed to Address Population Health.

Policy Points Although a single definition of the population health workforce does not yet exist, this workforce needs to have the skills and competencies to address the social determinants of health, to understand intersectionality, and to coordinate and work in concert with an array of skilled providers in social and health care to address multiple health drivers. On-the-job training programs and employer support are needed for the current health workforce to gain skills and competencies to address population health. Funding and leadership combined are critical for developing the population health workforce with the goal of supporting a broad set of workers beyond health and social care to include, for example, those in urban planning, law enforcement, or transportation professions to address population health.

Integrating Immigrant Health Professionals into the U.S. Healthcare Workforce: Barriers and Solutions.

Internationally educated immigrant healthcare workers face skill underutilization working in lower-skilled healthcare jobs or outside healthcare. This study explored barriers to and solutions for integrating immigrant health professionals. Content analysis identifying key themes from semi-structured qualitative interviews with representatives from Welcome Back Centers (WBCs) and partner organizations. 18 participants completed interviews. Barriers facing immigrant health professionals included lack of access to resources, financial constraints, language difficulties, credentialing challenges, prejudice, and investment in current occupations. Barriers facing programs that assist immigrant health professionals included eligibility restrictions, funding challenges, program workforce instability, recruitment difficulties, difficulty maintaining connection, and pandemic challenges. Long-term program success depended on partner networks, advocacy, addressing prejudice, a client-centered approach, diverse resources and services, and conducting research. Initiatives to integrate immigrant health professionals require multi-level responses to diverse needs and collaborations among organizations that support immigrant health professionals, healthcare systems, labor, and other stakeholders.

Inequitable care delivery toward COVID-19 positive people of color and people with disabilities.

This study aimed to explore provider observations of inequitable care delivery towards COVID-19 positive patients who are Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color (BIPOC) and/or have disabilities and to identify ways the health workforce may be contributing to and compounding inequitable care. We conducted semi-structured interviews between April and November 2021 with frontline healthcare providers from Washington, Florida, Illinois, and New York. Using thematic analysis, major themes related to discriminatory treatment included decreased care, delayed care, and fewer options for care. Healthcare providers' bias and stigma, organizational bias, lack of resources, fear of transmission, and burnout were mentioned as drivers for discriminatory treatment. COVID-19 related health system policies such as visitor restrictions and telehealth follow-ups inadvertently resulted in discriminatory practices towards BIPOC patients and patients with disabilities. As patients experience lower quality healthcare during the pandemic, COVID-19-related restrictions and policies compounded existing inequitable care for these populations.

A closer look at disparities in earnings between white and minoritized dentists.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors that account for differences in dentist earnings between White and minoritized dentists. DATA SOURCES: We used data from the American Dental Association's Survey of dental practice, which includes information on 2001-2018 dentist net income, practice ZIP code, patient mix between private and public insurance, and dentist gender, age, and year of dental school graduation. We merged the data on dentist race and ethnicity and school of graduation from the American Dental Association masterfile. Based on practice ZIP code, we also merged the data on local area racial and ethnic composition from the American Community Survey. STUDY DESIGN: We used a linear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition to assess observable characteristics that explain the gap in earnings between White and minoritized dentists. To assess differences in earnings between White and minoritized dentists at different points of the income distribution, we used a re-centered influence function and estimated an unconditional quantile Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: We extracted data for 22,086 dentists ages 25-85 who worked at least 8 weeks per year and 20 hours per week. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Observable characteristics accounted for 58% of the earnings gap between White and Asian dentists, 55% of the gap between White and Hispanic dentists, and 31% of the gap between White and Black dentists. The gap in earnings between White and Asian dentists narrowed at higher quantiles of the income distribution. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to other minoritized dentists, Black dentists have the largest earnings disparities relative to White dentists. While the level of the explained component of the disparity for Black dentists is comparable to the explained part of the disparities for other minoritized dentists, the excess percentage of the unexplained component for Black dentists accounts for the additional amount of disparity that Black dentists experienced. Persistent income disparities could discourage minoritized dentists from entering the profession.

Dual impacts of Medicare payment reform and the COVID-19 pandemic on therapy staffing in skilled nursing facilities.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of new skilled nursing facility (SNF) Medicare payment policy, the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), resulted in immediate declines in physical and occupational therapy staffing. This study characterizes continuing impacts of PDPM in conjunction with COVID-19 on SNF therapy staffing and examines variability in staffing changes based on SNF organizational characteristics. METHODS: We analyzed Medicare administrative data from a national cohort of SNFs between January 2019 and March 2022. Interrupted time series mixed effects regression examined changes in level and trend of total therapy staffing minutes/patient-day during PDPM and COVID-19 and by type of staff (therapists, assistants, contractors, and in-house staff). Secondary analyses examined the variability in staffing by organizational characteristics. RESULTS: PDPM resulted in a -6.54% level change in total therapy staffing, with larger declines for assistants and contractors. Per-patient staffing fluctuated during COVID-19 as the census changed. PDPM-related staffing declines were larger in SNFs that were: Rural, for-profit, chain-affiliated, provided more intensive therapy, employed more therapy assistants, and admitted more Medicare patients before PDPM. COVID-19 resulted in larger staffing declines in rural SNFs but smaller early declines in SNFs that were hospital-based, for-profit, or received more relief funding. CONCLUSIONS: SNFs that historically engaged in profit-maximizing behaviors (e.g., providing more therapy via lower-paid assistants) had larger staffing declines during PDPM compared to other SNFs. Therapy staffing fluctuated during COVID-19, but PDPM-related reductions persisted 2 years into the pandemic, especially in rural SNFs. Results suggest specific organizational characteristics that should be targeted for staffing and quality improvement initiatives.

Evaluation of a Health Information Exchange for Linkage to Mental Health Care After an Emergency Department Visit.

Aligning with Washington State's goal of reducing unnecessary emergency department (ED) use and improving linkage to outpatient primary and behavioral health care, this study evaluated whether an Emergency Department Information Exchange (EDIE) improved linkage to care for Medicaid enrollees with mental health conditions. Follow-up with any physician at 30 days increased slightly, although mental health-specific follow-up declined over time. Difference-in-differences estimates revealed no effect of EDIE on linkage to care after an ED visit. Medicaid beneficiaries with mental health needs and high utilization of the ED likely require additional support to increase timely and appropriate follow-up care.

Financial Instability of Federal Navigator Program Challenges Organizations to Help Uninsured Enroll in Health Insurance Coverage.

Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal Health Insurance Navigator Program aims to reduce the rate of uninsured in the United States. Under this program, navigators help people obtain insurance coverage through federally facilitated Marketplaces. However, the program's financial instability and substantial budget cuts created a severe shortage of navigator assistance for the uninsured and underserved. The COVID-19 pandemic added further pressure to the already-strained program. Our study examined how unstable and unpredictable federal funding and the COVID-19 pandemic affected organizations' navigator work in the federal program in 2020. The results study show (1) that navigator organizations provide vital, year-round resources; (2) that organizations feel pushed to direct scarce resources to grant management and cut service provision; and (3) that there are policy changes that can support navigator organizations in the future. Increased and ongoing federal investment is needed to support this vital health workforce and expand enrollment assistance for underserved communities.

Pathways to Registered Nursing: Influences of Health-Related Work Experience and Education Financing.

A larger and more diverse registered nurse (RN) workforce in the U.S. is needed to meet growing demand and address social determinants of health and improve health equity. To improve understanding of pathways and barriers to becoming an RN, this study examined prior health care employment and financial assistance factors associated with completion of pre-licensure RN education programs, by initial entry degree (associate degree or bachelor of science in nursing) and across racial and ethnic groups, using the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. The study found higher percentages of associate degree-entry RNs held a health-related job prior to completing their initial RN program than did bachelor's degree entrants. Employer support for education financing as well as reliance on loans and scholarships increased among RNs graduating in 2000 and later, and reliance on self-financing was reported less frequently. Hispanic associate degree-entry RNs reported education financing from only federal loans more frequently compared with White RNs, and higher percentages of Black, multiracial, and "some other race" baccalaureate degree entry RNs accessed federal loans compared with White baccalaureate degree-entry RNs. These findings indicate diversifying the RN workforce should remain a priority to increase representation by underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Equitable pathways into the RN profession will be facilitated and expedited through policies that overcome financial and social barriers that enable individuals from population groups underrepresented in the nursing workforce to identify with the RN role and route to the profession.

Patients Receive Flexible And Accessible Care When State Workforce Barriers Are Removed.

In response to COVID-19, many states increased their supply of health care workers, using emergency policies to remove barriers such as state licensure requirements. The experience in New Jersey suggests that most health care workers who obtained a temporary license, including physicians, nurses, and mental health providers, provided care for existing patients for COVID-19- and non-COVID-19-related conditions, mostly through telehealth. State variation in licensure requirements, as well as scope of practice, may be a barrier to patients having flexible, accessible, and continuous care. As states emerge from the pandemic, emergency policies that expand health workforce supply by removing these state-level barriers should be made permanent.

Tracking Turnover Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study.

Importance: The health care sector lost millions of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and job recovery has been slow, particularly in long-term care. Objective: To identify which health care workers were at highest risk of exiting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Setting and Participants: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted among individuals employed full-time in health care jobs from 2019 to 2021 in the US. Using the data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), we compared turnover rates before the pandemic (preperiod, January 2019-March 2020; 71 843 observations from CPS) with the first 9 months (postperiod 1, April 2020-December 2020; 38 556 observations) and latter 8 months of the pandemic (postperiod 2, January 2021-October 2021; 44 389 observations). Main Outcomes and Measures: Health care workforce exits (also referred to as turnover) defined as a health care worker's response to the CPS as being unemployed or out of the labor force in a month subsequent to a month when they reported being actively employed in the health care workforce. The probability of exiting the health care workforce was estimated using a logistic regression model controlling for health care occupation, health care setting, being female, having a child younger than 5 years old in the household, race and ethnicity, age and age squared, citizenship status, being married, having less than a bachelor's degree, living in a metropolitan area, identifier for those reporting employment status at the first peak of COVID-19, and select interaction terms with time periods (postperiods 1 and 2). Data analyses were conducted from March 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022. Results: The study population comprised 125 717 unique health care workers with a mean (SD) age of 42.3 (12.1) years; 96 802 (77.0%) were women; 84 733 (67.4%) were White individuals. Estimated health care turnover rates peaked in postperiod 1, but largely recovered by postperiod 2, except for among long-term care workers and physicians. We found a 4-fold difference in turnover rates between physicians and health aides or assistants. Rates were also higher for health workers with young children (<5 years), for both sexes and highest among women. By race and ethnicity, persistently higher turnover rates were found among American Indian/Alaska Native/Pacific Islander workers; White workers had persistently lower rates; and Black and Latino workers experienced the slowest job recovery rates. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this observational cross-sectional study suggest that although much of the health care workforce is on track to recover to prepandemic turnover rates, these rates have been persistently high and slow to recover among long-term care workers, health aides and assistants, workers of minoritized racial and ethnic groups, and women with young children. Given the high demand for long-term care workers, targeted attention is needed to recruit job-seeking health care workers and to retain those currently in these jobs to lessen turnover.

Employers' Perspectives on the Use of Medical Assistant Apprenticeships: A Qualitative Study.

Medical assistants (MAs) are among the fastest-growing occupations in the United States, yet health care employers report high turnover rates and difficulty filling MA positions. Employers are increasingly using apprenticeship to meet emerging workforce needs. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of 14 employers using registered MA apprenticeships in 8 states. The findings revealed motivations for using apprenticeship, perceived benefits to the organization, challenges with implementation, and reflections on successful implementation. We detail how MA apprenticeship is successfully meeting recruitment and training needs in a variety of health care organizations, especially where program support resources are available.