About Us |
Leadership |
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Established in 2013, the George Washington University (GW) Health Workforce Research Center (HWRC), part of the Fitzhufh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, conducts workforce studies on emerging health workforce issues. The center’s research portfolio examines how new payment and delivery models, patient centered medical homes, team-based care, telehealth, National Health Service Corps, and other emerging care management strategies impact access and quality of care for rural and underserved populations.
We are committed to advancing the science of workforce analysis by 1) developing cutting edge research methods for documenting how workforce staffing configurations impact patient satisfaction and health outcomes, 2) employing innovative uses of available datasets to identify the workforce caring for patients living in health professional shortage areas, 3) publishing a portfolio of peer-reviewed publications that build off of each other to identify policies for improving care for vulnerable and underserved populations, and 4) training the next generation of health workforce researchers to carry the work forward into the future. |
Director: Patricia Pittman, PhD
Deputy Director: Clese Erikson, MPAff |
Current Research Studies |
Assessing How Independent, Freestanding Emergency Departments in Texas Affect the Rural and Underserved Health Workforce
In recent years, more and more emergency departments (EDs) are located and operated away from hospital campuses. This study will explore the origin and composition of the health workforce of independent, freestanding emergency departments (IFEDs) in Texas and the implications of IFEDs on rural and underserved workforce. The rapid proliferation of IFEDs brings into question where the workforce staffing those EDs come from and the concentration of IFEDs in large urban areas raises the question of whether those stand-alone EDs have a detrimental impact on the rural emergency medicine workforce.
Key Questions:
Study Team: Candice Chen, Eric Luo, Nicholas Chong
For questions about this study, contact Candice Chen at cpchen@gwu.edu.
Key Questions:
- Who works in IFEDs and where do they come from?
- Has the TX IFED phenomenon affected net ER physician in/outflow for states?
- Has the TX IFED phenomenon affected the rural county ER physician workforce in TX compared to other state(s) rural counties?
Study Team: Candice Chen, Eric Luo, Nicholas Chong
For questions about this study, contact Candice Chen at cpchen@gwu.edu.
Mapping the Location of Health Centers in Relation to ‘Maternity Care Deserts:’ Implications for Pregnant Women’s Access to Care and Outcomes
This study will focus on, and augment knowledge about, community health centers (CHCs) as a key provider of maternity care services to pregnant women who live in extremely under-resourced communities by focusing on their location in relation to maternity care deserts (MCD). In particular, it builds on a descriptive study by the March of Dimes (MOD), which found that 1,085 of 3,136 counties (35%) qualified as MCDs.
Key Questions:
Study Team: Anne Markus, Drishti Pillai
For questions about this study, contact Anne Markus at armarkus@gwu.edu.
Key Questions:
- What is the geographic distribution of CHCs in relation to MCDs in the United States?
- How does maternity care staffing, PNC utilization, and deliveries differ among CHCs in proximity to MCDs when compared to CHCs located in more highly resourced areas?
- How do the SES characteristics and the needs of the patient population, CHC characteristics, and county attributes mediate the relationship between CHCs’ maternity care staffing, PNC utilization, and deliveries and proximity to MCDs?
Study Team: Anne Markus, Drishti Pillai
For questions about this study, contact Anne Markus at armarkus@gwu.edu.
The Utilization of Medical Scribes and Their Impact on CHCs
This study will highlight the medical scribe workforce and practice, with particular interest paid to the community health center (CHC) setting. A national landscape analysis will be performed to provide a better understanding of workforce composition, service delivery modes, geographic distribution, and practice settings. Additionally, scientific and grey literature searches will be performed to synthesize the existing evidence on the impact of medical scribes as it relates to physician burn-out, productivity, revenue, and patient satisfaction. Lastly, key informant interviews will be conducted to provide case study examples of medical scribe utilization and impact within the CHC setting.
Key Questions:
Study Team: Clese Erikson, Meg Ziemann
For questions about this study, contact Clese Erikson at cerikson@gwu.edu.
Key Questions:
- What does the medical scribe practice landscape look like?
- Is the use of medical scribes associated with clinician practice outcomes such as revenue, productivity, and burnout?
- Does the use of medical scribes impact patient satisfaction?
- What are some best practices in the integration of medical scribes within CHCs?
Study Team: Clese Erikson, Meg Ziemann
For questions about this study, contact Clese Erikson at cerikson@gwu.edu.
What Factors Predict Use of Community Health Workers in Community Health Centers?
This study builds on the methods and findings of previous GW HWRC work on the changing roles of CHWs and our studies using UDS data to better understand evolving workforce needs in CHCs. We will use a mixed methods sequential approach to develop an understanding of the use of CHWs in CHCs. We will:
Study Team: Marsha Regenstein, Nicholas Chong
For questions about this study, contact Marsha Regenstein at marshar@gwu.edu.
- describe common staffing models related to enabling services personnel to identify the ways that CHCs incorporate CHWs into care delivery,
- document the change in the CHW workforce from 2016 to 2018 in the post reporting change period and factors associated with use of CHWs', and
- identify facilitators and barriers to the use of CHWs in the CHC context.
Study Team: Marsha Regenstein, Nicholas Chong
For questions about this study, contact Marsha Regenstein at marshar@gwu.edu.
Simulating the Impact of Workforce Configurations on Quality in Community Health Centers: A Feasibility Study to Develop a Simulation Tool
This project aims to develop tools for CHCs to be able to consider simulated data as they make decisions about staffing. Past work by the GW HWRCs utilized a production function approach to assess the impact of different workforce configurations on quality of care. We identified two outcome measures, control of hypertension and diabetes, as sensitive to difference staffing patterns. This work was then used to develop a simulation model that asked:
Study Team: Eric Luo
For questions about this study, contact Eric Luo at qluo@gwu.edu.
- If a CHC had one million dollars to spend on new staff, what would be the most effective investment to improve quality of care?
Study Team: Eric Luo
For questions about this study, contact Eric Luo at qluo@gwu.edu.
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Disclaimer
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These projects are supported by the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $450,000, with zero percent financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.