Gender and racial issues that affect delivery of care are we prepared for the future changes?

Provider/consumer racial and gender issues Many who practice in an urban clinic setting or in a teaching institution are very familiar with the statistics we have heard and the problems of health care disparities rooted in the racial or ethnic differences of our patient population. For the large majority of pediatric dentists who are in private practice, I want to stress that we should remain keenly aware that almost 4 out of every 10 of our patients belong to a so-called “minority culture” and that their proportion will grow steadily in the future. I already see significant changes, perhaps because I practice in a suburban area, but I believe that the fast changes in the demographics of our patients will affect all of us. Many in private practice spend a significant amount of money, time, and effort in marketing techniques. My question is, do you understand the populations’ culture and needs in order to attract them and retain them as patients? Are you doing anything different to assure their satisfaction with the care and services you provide? Or, putting it a different way, depending on the area where you practice, can your practice afford to lose up to 40% of its present or potential patient base?