Serving Underserved Population in Oncology

[mark2122]

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Hi all,

I'm very interested oncology but also want to serve an urban population and the underserved in the city I grew up in. Does anyone know what kind of opportunities exist for oncologists to treat those patients? I understand with Obamacare there should be a much higher percentage of the population with insurance so they could be able to pay for chemo/constant visits, but I imagine there will still be a large population that still can't pay for the drugs.

 

[LizzyM]

Many big cities have public hospitals and outpatient clinics that serve those who would not otherwise get care. Some federally qualified health clinics (FQHC) have oncology services.

Many poor folks are covered by Medicaid. The reimbursement is such that many private practices won't take Medicaid or limit the number of patients they can accept (the alternative would be to go broke because the reimbursement doesn't cover the cost). Therefore, many Medicaid patients rely on FQHC and government sponsored facilities.

If you are interested in serving this population, there is a need and there are institutions in existence where you can do this.

You might even find an FQHC in your area and ask if you can shadow there so you get a good idea of what it's all about.