Purpose or Case Report: Access to healthcare, and in particular to pediatric subspecialties, including pediatric radiology, is limited. Increasingly limited access creates or accentuates preexisting disparities and injustices. However, because of the complexity of the issue, it is difficult to objectively study and quantify it. This exhibit will describe current barriers to pediatric radiology access, available research tools and methodologies that can help us measure the impact of such barriers. Then, we propose a research agenda to systematically approach the problem.
Methods & Materials: The exhibit is organized as follows: ● Scope of the problem: shortage of pediatric radiologists, geographic clustering of expertise, underserved populations, and overutilization of low value imaging. ● Available data and research tools: a. Pediatric healthcare data resources: – Professional membership data (RSNA/SPR), – Claims data: Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS), Government databases (Medicaid, HCUP, CMS IP survey), Private insurers (Premier Healthcare Database, [PHD], IBM MarketScan). – Pediatric medical subspecialty use: Healthcare Integrated Research Database (HIRD), PEDSnet, Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS). – Geographical information system (GIS). b. Qualitative research methods to uncover previously unaddressed issues: anecdotal evidence compilation, interviews, focus groups, observation, and/or document analysis. c. Quantitative research: Geographical accessibility mapping models: regional availability method, the gravity model, and the two-step floating catchment area. ● The research agenda: 1. Pediatric radiology needs assessment: calculating the shortage of radiology subspecialists. 2. Subspecialty use rate: annual count of children that accessed pediatric radiology expertise (per region/ per year). 3. Mapping the catchment area for pediatric radiology services accounting for teleradiology services. 4. Identifying pediatric radiology deserts: Comparison of theoretical coverage against actual pediatric populations.
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