Patient Centered Medical Home Care Among Near-Old and Older Race/Ethnic Minorities in the US: Findings from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey

Access to Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) care has not been explored among older racial/ethnic minorities. We used data on adults 55-years and older from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2008–2013). We account for five features of PCMH experiences and focus on respondents self-identifying as Non-Latino White, Black, and Latino. We used regression models to examine associations between PCMH care and its domains and race/ethnicity and decomposition techniques to assess contribution to differences by predisposing, enabling and health need factors. We found low overall access and significant racial/ethnic variations in experiences of PCMH. Our results indicated strong deficiencies in access to a personal primary care physician provided healthcare. Factors contributing to differences in reported PCMH experiences relative to Whites differed by racial/ethnic grouping. Policy initiatives aimed at addressing accessibility to personal physician directed healthcare could potentially reduce racial/ethnic differences while increasing national access to PCMH care.