Persistent racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes continue across the United States, largely stemming from unequal access to and use of health care services, as well as broader social and economic determinants that reflect both historic and ongoing systemic racism.
One approach to reducing these disparities is fostering racial concordance between providers and patients, meaning both share the same racial or ethnic background. Evidence indicates that when this alignment exists, patients are more likely to engage in preventative care, adhere to treatment recommendations, and experience lower rates of emergency department utilization.
Research demonstrates that increased representation of Black primary care physicians correlates with longer life expectancy and reduced mortality rates among Black individuals.
KFF 2023 survey data show Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults who have more health care visits with providers who share their racial and ethnic background more frequently report having positive and respectful interactions.
However, despite these advantages, many individuals from communities of color encounter significant barriers when seeking providers who share their racial or ethnic background. KFF survey data indicate that most Hispanic, Black, Asian, and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adults reported that less than half of their health care visits in the past three years were with racially or ethnically concordant providers.
Although data indicate that adults of color have a stronger preference than White adults for providers who share their racial or ethnic background, they are much less likely to have access to such providers and often face greater challenges in finding them.
KFF analysis of 2023 Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Physician Workforce data and American Community Survey data shows that Hispanic, Black, AIAN, and NHPI people were underrepresented among physicians relative to their share of the population.
Racial and Ethnic Distribution of Physicians
Nationally, Hispanic, Black, AIAN, and NHPI people were underrepresented among physicians relative to their share of the population with the widest gap observed among Hispanic people. While one in five people in the U.S. population was Hispanic, they accounted for just 7% of the physician workforce. Similarly, 12% of the population was Black compared to 6% of the physician workforce. AIAN and NHPI individuals were also underrepresented among physicians compared to their share of the overall population. However, the absolute differences were small, as both groups make up less than one percent of the total population and the physician workforce. In contrast, White people accounted for similar shares of the total population and physician workforce, and Asian people accounted for a larger share of physicians (19%) than their share of the population (6%). Source: https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/physician-workforce-diversity-by-race-and-ethnicity/