2012 National Healthcare Disparities Report

Figure 5.1. Adults who had a doctor's office or clinic visit in the last 12 months who reported poor communication with health providers, by race/ethnicity and income, 2002-2009

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2002-2009.
Denominator: Civilian noninstitutionalized population age 18 and over who had a doctor's office or clinic visit in the last 12 months.
Note: For this measure, lower rates are better. White and Black groups are non-Hispanic. Hispanic includes all races. Patients who report that their health providers sometimes or never listened carefully, explained things clearly, showed respect for what they had to say, or spent enough time with them are considered to have poor communication.

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Figure 5.2. Adult ambulatory patients who reported poor communication with health providers, by race/ethnicity, stratified by income, 2009

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2009.
Denominator: Civilian noninstitutionalized population age 18 and over.
Note: For this measure, lower rates are better. White and Black groups are non-Hispanic. Hispanic includes all races. Patients who report that their health providers sometimes or never listened carefully, explained things clearly, showed respect for what they had to say, or spent enough time with them are considered to have poor communication.

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Figure 5.3. Children who had a doctor's office or clinic visit in the last 12 months whose parents reported poor communication with health providers: Overall composite, by race and geographic location, 2002-2009

Key: MSA = metropolitan statistical area.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2002-2009.
Denominator: Civilian noninstitutionalized population under age 18 who had a doctor's office or clinic visit in the last 12 months.
Note: For this measure, lower rates are better. White and Black groups are non-Hispanic. Hispanic includes all races. Data for noncore children in 2006 and 2008 did not meet criteria for statistical reliability. Parents who report that their child's health providers sometimes or never listened carefully, explained things clearly, showed respect for what they had to say, or spent enough time with them are considered to have poor communication.

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Figure 5.4. Composite measure: Children who had a doctor's office or clinic visit in the last 12 months whose parents reported poor communication with health providers, by insurance status, stratified by income, 2009

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2009.
Denominator: Civilian noninstitutionalized population under age 18.
Note: For this measure, lower rates are better. Data were not available for high-income people with public insurance only. Parents who report that their child's health providers sometimes or never listened carefully, explained things clearly, showed respect for what they had to say, or spent enough time with them are considered to have poor communication.

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Figure 5.5. Adult hospital patients who reported poor communication with nurses and doctors, by race, ethnicity, and education, 2009

Key: NHOPI = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; AI/AN = American Indian or Alaska Native.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Hospital CAHPS® (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Survey, 2009.
Denominator: Adult hospitalized patients.
Note: For this measure, lower rates are better. Non-Hispanic and Hispanic include all races. Poor communication is defined as responded "sometimes" or "never" to the set of survey questions: "During this hospital stay, how often did doctors/nurses treat you with courtesy and respect?" "During this hospital stay, how often did doctors/nurses listen carefully to you?" and "During this hospital stay, how often did doctors/nurses explain things in a way you could understand?"

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Figure 5.6. Adults with limited English proficiency, by whether they had a usual source of care with or without language assistance, Hispanics (top) and non-Hispanics (bottom), 2002-2009

Key: USC = usual source of care.
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2002-2009.

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Figure 5.7. Adults age 18 and over who needed a translator during last doctor visit (California only), by race/ethnicity and granular ethnicities, 2005, 2007, and 2009 (combined/pooled)

Key: AI/AN = American Indian or Alaska Native.
Source: University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Health Policy Research, California Health Interview Survey, 2005, 2007, and 2009.
Denominator: Adults with previous doctor visit.
Note: Racial groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic groups include all races.

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Figure 5.8. Adults with a usual source of care whose health providers sometimes or never asked for the patient's help to make treatment decisions, by race/ethnicity, 2009

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2009.
Denominator: Civilian noninstitutionalized population with a usual source of care.
Note: For this measure, lower rates are better.

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