UAMS Participating in Regional Study Focused on Family Planning Clinics’ Referral Services

By todd

LITTLE ROCK – Evaluating how well family planning providers assist low-income women in obtaining primary and specialty health care services is the aim of a new study led by the College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock and the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).


 


“Physicians in family planning clinics sometimes find medical conditions beyond the scope of family planning services covered by Medicaid or Title X programs,” said Kate Stewart, M.D., UAMS associate professor in Health Policy and Management and co-principal investigator on the study. “These women often need to be referred to another health care provider, but this may be difficult since these women typically do not have insurance or other means to pay.”


 


Also, women with fewer resources may need help with scheduling appointments, keeping reminders, transportation and follow-up referrals. “Family planning providers may lack sufficient staff support and information for this sort of assistance,” Stewart said.


 


The two-year project is supported by a grant from the Office of Population Affairs of the Office of Public Health and Science in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is part of the agency’s Family Planning Service Delivery Improvement Research Initiative. The project will be conducted with the cooperation of the Medicaid agencies and public health departments in the two states.


  


The study will be conducted in two phases. First, researchers will survey family planning providers about their usual referral practices and concerns regarding referring low-income women to a primary or specialty care physician. “We also will collect information about providers and health care resources available for low-income women in the community,” Stewart said.


 


Next, researchers will survey family planning clients. “Women who report a health condition on this survey will be asked whether they discussed the condition with their family planning provider, whether they were assisted in getting referred to another health care provider, and whether they sought and received care for their condition,” Stewart said.



Information gathered from surveys will help researchers determine:


·         Whether there are widespread concerns by family planning providers in Arkansas and Alabama concerning their ability to ensure effective medical referrals for low-income family planning clients


·         Factors that support or limit providers’ ability to make effective referrals


·         The value of various referral-related activities for helping family planning clients receive medical care for acute and chronic conditions


·         Characteristics of clients most at risk for failure to complete referrals for medical care


·         Barriers that clients perceive in receiving care for medical conditions


 


For more information about this study in Arkansas, contact Kate Stewart at (501) 526-6624. 


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320 students and 690 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.3 billion a year.


 


UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.