TABLE 2.
Racial/Ethnic Difference in Wait Time and Satisfaction: Provider Random-Effects Model†
| Dependent Variables | Satisfaction: Very Good | Patient-reported (Postscheduled) Time at Waiting Area |
|---|---|---|
| Variables | Odds Ratio | Coefficient (min) |
| R/E (reference: NHW) | ||
| Hispanic/Latino | 0.96 | 0.86* |
| Black | 0.86 | 0.80 |
| Chinese | 0.50* | 1.09* |
| Asian Indian | 0.46* | 1.79* |
| Filipino | 0.58* | 1.92* |
| Japanese | 0.62* | 0.029 |
| Korean | 0.51* | 0.89 |
| Vietnamese | 0.56* | 2.15* |
| Visit characteristics | ||
| EHR-based scheduled, arrived, and wait time indicators | ||
| Arrived late for the appointment | 1.13* | −0.96* |
| Time (postscheduled) spent at waiting area | 0.98* | 0.20* |
| Led to examination room earlier than scheduled time | 1.07 | −0.023 |
| Long visit (scheduled for 30+ min) | 1.02 | −0.039 |
| Visit time of the day | ||
| (reference: 6 am-9:59 am) | ||
| 10 am–11:59 am | 0.90* | 0.75* |
| 12 pm–2:59 pm | 0.93 | 0.48* |
| 3 pm–9 pm | 0.87* | 1.34* |
| No. days between survey return and visit | 0.9988 | 0.0064* |
| Own PCP visit | 1.11* | −0.59* |
| No. years with the PCP | 1.01 | −0.034 |
| Preventive visit | 1.06 | −0.78* |
| Visit for chronic condition | 1.06 | −0.11 |
| Patient-provider R/E concordant (reference: R/E discordant) | 0.97 | −0.085 |
| Non-English language concordant (reference: concordant in English) | 0.85 | 0.97 |
| Language discordant (reference: concordant in English) | 0.76* | 1.07* |
| Other patient characteristics | ||
| Age (reference: 18–34) | ||
| 0–17 | 1.11 | −0.21 |
| 35–50 | 1.30* | −0.15 |
| 51–64 | 1.46* | −0.17 |
| 65 or older | 1.40* | 0.14 |
| Female | 1.06* | 0.13 |
| Insurance type (reference: PPO) | ||
| Health Maintenance Organization | 0.99 | 0.10 |
| Medicaid | 1.13 | 0.78 |
| Other insurance or self-pay | 1.16 | 0.45 |
| No. visits to the clinic in the last year (0–9, 10+) | 0.98* | 0.0081 |
| Proportion of visits late for the appointment | 0.97 | 0.49 |
| Proportion of visits arrived >15 min before scheduled time | 0.91 | 2.25* |
| Provider characteristics | ||
| Female | 0.90 | 0.068 |
| Physician (vs. nurse practitioner or physician assistant) | 0.94 | 0.999 |
| Years of medical practice | 0.997 | 0.024 |
| Constant | 5.01* | 0.24 |
| Rho | 0.057* | |
| Observations | 70,806 | 77,817 |
| No. providers | 833 | 856 |
*
P < 0.001.
†
Estimates from multivariate regression with provider random effects. Also included but not presented here variables are indicators for provider department, clinic, and division; (block level) % high school graduates, % college graduates, and median household income; and indicators of missing values in years of medical practice, insurance type, and appointment time.
EHR indicates electronic health record; NHW, non-Hispanic whites; PCP, primary care provider; R/E, race/ethnicity.