Health care for Kentucky's uninsured indigents: the perspective of providers in the Kentucky Physicians Care program.
The pressing issue of providing care for the uninsured indigent has been addressed in Kentucky by a unique private sector program that depends on physician donation of services. The Kentucky Physicians Care (KPC) program which provides health care to uninsured indigent patients in Kentucky was evaluated from the perspective of the participating physicians through in-depth interviews with 22 randomly selected physicians. The results of the interviews suggested that the KPC program is generally viewed by participating providers as a successful and personally rewarding enterprise. Suggestions for improving services included strategies to increase awareness of the program for both patients and providers. As state and federal policy continues to focus on the uninsured as a vulnerable population, integration of this private sector program into a partnership with the public sector may be a worthwhile strategy.
Mainous
A G
AG
Department of Family Practice, University of Kentucky, USA.
Griffith
G H
GH
McCown
L J
LJ
D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007629:Kentucky; D008489:Medical Indigency; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D010820:Physicians; D017149:Private Sector; D017664:Uncompensated Care