The COVID-19 pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. Government health officials have told us that senior citizens are more likely to die from the virus. However, they have not told you about the racial disparities regarding the number of COVID-19 deaths.
Various news outlets have recently shed light on the racial disparities of COVID-19 deaths throughout the country. As it turns out, Latinos and African Americans are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than Caucasian Americans. In some locations in the country, such as Louisiana, the racial disparities of COVID-19 deaths are even worse.
When you hear about these stories on the news, the reporters will give you many different reasons for the disparities. For instance, they might tell you that minority communities don’t have the same level of access to healthcare services as white communities. Also, minorities statistically have a greater risk of developing diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, which only puts them at further risk of dying from COVID-19.
In addition, minority communities are usually within dense urban environments where everyone lives close together. This increases the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission between residents.
Unfortunately, many minorities don’t even want to go to the doctor because they don’t trust the healthcare system. In order to turn this around, minorities must find a doctor they can trust and develop a good relationship with them. That is not always easy if the medical facilities around them are under the fee-based model.
Short-Term Trust Building
Primary Medical Care Center strives to keep all our patients happy and healthy. Our staff contacts patients regularly to make sure they are feeling good. We go out of our way to show empathy and compassion to our patients, which is something they don’t experience from doctors in an emergency room.
We want patients to feel comfortable contacting us about their health and non-health-related problems or questions. They can contact us directly from their homes without coming to the facility in person. That way, patients who are the most at risk of dying from COVID-19 don’t have to risk being around other people to get medical care.
Minority patients are more willing to seek treatment from our facility because we offer remote telehealth sessions. Not only that, but we spend more time with patients to learn in-depth information about their health issues. These discussions help patients develop trust for our doctors and staff because we show that we care about their health.
We strive to educate our patients about how to take better care of themselves. They are more likely to follow our advice if they trust us. We also talk to their family members and give them tips on how to take better care of their loved ones. As a result, patients know how to protect themselves from COVID-19 while dealing with their other health issues too.
This kind of treatment is only possible at a medical facility operating under the value-based care model. Fee-based facilities don’t have the same close relationship between doctors and patients, so patients at those facilities don’t trust their doctors. Those facilities only care about maximizing their number of patients in order to make more money.
Primary Medical Care Center cares more about delivering valuable treatment to patients. We have fewer patients because we don’t depend on patients to keep coming back to us. Instead, we work to cure or significantly reduce their symptoms so they don’t need to keep coming back for treatment.
Long-Term Trust Building
When patients have established a long-term relationship with their doctors, they are more likely to consider their health advice. Unfortunately, many doctors only want a transactional relationship with patients, which means they don’t want to cure patients or give them sound advice. It is no wonder why patients don’t trust their doctors.
Many people don’t realize that value-based medical facilities exist in the United States. This is because they are so accustomed to transactional medical facilities that want patients to keep coming back repeatedly. That way, the medical facilities can continue to profit from their patients’ insurance plans.
It is a nightmare for minority patients when COVID-19 health issues arise. They already don’t trust doctors, so depending on them during a pandemic is quite challenging. If minorities don’t already have a trusted doctor in their lives, they won’t seek any treatment or medical advice. This ultimately puts minorities in greater danger and increases their likelihood of getting sick or dead from COVID-19.
If you run a medical facility and want to help minority patients, you must operate under the value-based model. It is the only way to help the minority patients in your local community because you can build their trust over a long-term period. Then, when the next killer virus strikes the country, your patients will be ready to listen to all your advice without hesitation.
Find Out More Information
Would you like more information or advice on how to stay safe during COVID-19? Contact the Primary Medical Care Center at (305) 751-1500 and learn why you can trust our doctors to help you improve your health.