Increased Likelihood of Missed Appointments ("No Shows") for Racial/Ethnic Minorities in a Safety Net Health System.
Missed appointments have been linked to adverse outcomes known to affect racial/ethnic minorities. However, the association of missed appointments with race/ethnicity has not been determined. We sought to determine the relationships between race/ethnicity and missed appointments by performing a cross-sectional study of 161 350 patients in a safety net health system. Several race/ethnicity categories were significantly associated with missed appointment rates, including Hispanic/Latino patients, American Indian/Alaskan Native patients, and Black/African American patients, as compared with White non-Hispanic patients. Other significant predictors included Mexico as country of origin, medical complexity, and major mental illness. We recommend additional research to determine which interventions best reduce missed appointments for minority populations in order to improve the care of vulnerable patients.
Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Scott
S
Shimotsu
Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Anne
A
Roehrl
Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Maribet
M
McCarty
Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Katherine
K
Vickery
Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Laura
L
Guzman-Corrales
Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA mark.linzer@hcmed.org.
Mark
M
Linzer
Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Nancy
N
Garrett
D000328:Adult; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
ethnic disparities; health disparities; missed appointments; no shows; primary care; racial disparities