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Poor patients with multiple chronic conditions are more than twice as likely to have trouble seeing a specialist as are middle- and high-income patients, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported.
Among adults with multiple chronic conditions who needed to see a specialist in 2012, 22.6% of those who were poor said that access was not always or usually easy, compared with 9.9% for those of high income, 10.1% for middle-income patients, and 15.8% for those of low income, according to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
The high-income patients, however, were the most likely to say that they needed to see a specialist in 2012, with 65.6% reporting such a need, compared with 59.7% of poor patients, 57.6% of low-income patients, and 56.9% of middle-income patients, the AHRQ noted.
The report used the following definitions for the four income groups:
Poor: Persons in families with incomes up to 125% of the poverty line.
Low income: Persons in families with incomes over 125% through 200% of the poverty line.
Middle income: Persons in families with incomes over 200% through 400% of the poverty line.
High income: Persons in families with incomes over 400% of the poverty line.
Poor patients with multiple chronic conditions are more than twice as likely to have trouble seeing a specialist as are middle- and high-income patients, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported.
Among adults with multiple chronic conditions who needed to see a specialist in 2012, 22.6% of those who were poor said that access was not always or usually easy, compared with 9.9% for those of high income, 10.1% for middle-income patients, and 15.8% for those of low income, according to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
The high-income patients, however, were the most likely to say that they needed to see a specialist in 2012, with 65.6% reporting such a need, compared with 59.7% of poor patients, 57.6% of low-income patients, and 56.9% of middle-income patients, the AHRQ noted.
The report used the following definitions for the four income groups:
Poor: Persons in families with incomes up to 125% of the poverty line.
Low income: Persons in families with incomes over 125% through 200% of the poverty line.
Middle income: Persons in families with incomes over 200% through 400% of the poverty line.
High income: Persons in families with incomes over 400% of the poverty line.
Poor patients with multiple chronic conditions are more than twice as likely to have trouble seeing a specialist as are middle- and high-income patients, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported.
Among adults with multiple chronic conditions who needed to see a specialist in 2012, 22.6% of those who were poor said that access was not always or usually easy, compared with 9.9% for those of high income, 10.1% for middle-income patients, and 15.8% for those of low income, according to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
The high-income patients, however, were the most likely to say that they needed to see a specialist in 2012, with 65.6% reporting such a need, compared with 59.7% of poor patients, 57.6% of low-income patients, and 56.9% of middle-income patients, the AHRQ noted.
The report used the following definitions for the four income groups:
Poor: Persons in families with incomes up to 125% of the poverty line.
Low income: Persons in families with incomes over 125% through 200% of the poverty line.
Middle income: Persons in families with incomes over 200% through 400% of the poverty line.
High income: Persons in families with incomes over 400% of the poverty line.
