Barriers to helping patients quit smoking: Lack of knowledge about cessation methods, E-cigarettes, and why nurse practitioners and physician assistants can help.

Objectives: Health care settings are ideal for addressing patients' smoking and quitting, but barriers may limit providers' assistance with cessation, including lack of knowledge about newer devices being used by some smokers to quit (e.g., e-cigarettes).

The First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Changes in Preventive Services in Community Health Centers.

Introduction: Community Health Centers provide comprehensive primary healthcare services to many underserved populations. It is unknown how routine preventive and chronic care services in Community Health Centers may have changed nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The 2014-2020 Health Resources and Services Administration Uniform Data System of Community Health Centers was used, and data analysis was conducted from November 2021 to May 2022.

Disparities in smoking prevalence and associations with mental health and substance use disorders in underserved communities across the United States.

Background: Smoking contributes to the top 3 deadliest cancers, cancers of the lung, colon, and pancreas, which account for nearly 40% of all cancer-related deaths in the United States. Despite historicly low smoking rates, substantial disparities remain among people with mental health conditions and substance use disorders (SUDs).

Methods: The study examined the prevalence of smoking among adults from underserved communities who are served at federally qualified health centers through an analysis of the 2014 Health Center Patient Survey.

American Cancer Society's report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States, 2021.

In this report, the authors provide comprehensive and up-to-date US data on disparities in cancer occurrence, major risk factors, and access to and utilization of preventive measures and screening by sociodemographic characteristics. They also review programs and resources that have reduced cancer disparities and provide policy recommendations to further mitigate these inequalities. The overall cancer death rate is 19% higher among Black males than among White males.

Changes in breast cancer screening rates among 32 community health centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Breast cancer screening utilization steeply dropped at the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the effects on breast cancer screening in lower income populations are unknown. This study examined changes in breast cancer screening rates (BCSRs) during the pandemic among 32 community health centers (CHCs) that provided health care to lower income populations.

Colorectal cancer screening at US community health centers: Examination of sociodemographic disparities and association with patient-provider communication.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are low among underserved populations. High-quality patient-physician communication potentially influences patients' willingness to undergo CRC screening. Community health centers (HCs) provide comprehensive primary health care to underserved populations.

Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Cervical Cancer Screening Rates in US Health Centers through Patient-Centered Medical Home Transformation.

Over the last 50 years, the incidence of cervical cancer has dramatically decreased. However, health disparities in cervical cancer screening (CCS) persist for women from racial and ethnic minorities and those residing in rural and poor communities. For more than 45 years, federally funded health centers (HCs) have been providing comprehensive, culturally competent, and quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

Factors influencing family physicians' contribution to the child health care workforce.

Purpose: We wanted to explore demographic and geographic factors associated with family physicians' provision of care to children.

Methods: We analyzed the proportion of family physicians providing care to children using survey data collected by the American Board of Family Medicine from 2006 to 2009. Using a cross-sectional study design and logistic regression analysis, we examined the association of various physician demographic and geographic factors and providing care of children.

Cost, utilization, and quality of care: an evaluation of illinois' medicaid primary care case management program.

Purpose: In 2006, Illinois established Illinois Health Connect (IHC), a primary care case management program for Medicaid that offered enhanced fee-for-service, capitation payments, performance incentives, and practice support. Illinois also implemented a complementary disease management program, Your Healthcare Plus (YHP). This external evaluation explored outcomes associated with these programs.

Trends in physician supply and population growth.

The physician workforce has steadily grown faster than the U.S. population over the past 30 years, context that is often absent in conversations anticipating physician scarcity.

Family physicians in the maternity care workforce: factors influencing declining trends.

Family physicians provide access to maternity care for a disproportionate share of rural and urban underserved communities. This paper aims to determine trends in maternity care provision by family physicians and the characteristics of family physicians that provide maternity care. We used American Board of Family Medicine survey data collected from every family physician during application for the Maintenance of Certification Examination to determine the percentage of family physicians that provided maternity care from 2000 to 2010.

Proportion of family physicians providing maternity care continues to decline.

Family physicians traditionally have played an integral role in delivering babies as a component of the comprehensive care they provide for women. The proportion of family physicians who report providing any maternity care continues to decrease. This trend is particularly concerning because family physicians are the most widely distributed specialty and are essential to health care access in rural areas.

Declining numbers of family physicians are caring for children.

Despite continued growth of the primary care workforce, profound maldistribution persists among providers available for the care of children. Family physicians (FPs) spend, on average, approximately 10% of their total practice time caring for children; however, given that, among physician specialties, FPs are geographically distributed most evenly across the US population, the self-reported decline in the share of FPs caring for children should be disturbing to policymakers, especially with the looming insurance expansion in 2014.

Engagement of family physicians seven years into maintenance of certification.

Transitioning Family Physicians to continuous Maintenance of Certification (MOC) was intended to support the quality improvement movement nationally, but it also risked decreasing their engagement due to the increased requirements for retaining certification. However, after completing the transition of all family physicians into MOC in 2010, participation appears higher than ever.