Faculty and trainees from the department published their research, “Do Geographic Region, Pathologic Chronicity, and Hospital Affiliation Affect Access to Care Among Medicaid- and Privately Insured Foot and Ankle Surgery Patients?” in the Southern Medical Journal.
The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in access to care between patients who are privately insured and those with Medicaid in need of foot and ankle consultation.
Ultimately, authors concluded that patients with Medicaid experience fewer options when obtaining appointments for common nonemergent foot and ankle problems and may experience less difficulty scheduling appointments at academic rather than private institutions.
“Access to care for all patients, regardless of their private or public insurance, should be a priority for the medical community,” said first author and orthopaedic surgery resident Pitts. “The medical community should continue to seek and identify potential interventions which can improve access to orthopedic care for all patients and increase the visibility of practices that accept Medicaid.”
Authors from the UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery included:
- Charles Pitts, M.D., orthopaedic surgery resident
- Haley McKissack, M.D., former research fellow
- Bradley Alexander, M.D., former research fellow
- Jun Kit He, M.D., orthopaedic surgery resident
- Amit Momaya, M.D., chief of sports medicine
- Ashish Shah, M.D., director of international education
To learn more about study methods and read the entire study, click here.