Browse Research Publications

  • The people in California’s communities rely on physicians — primary care providers and specialists alike — to keep them healthy. This report, compiled using data from surveys completed by doctors renewing their medical licenses in 2015, provides a snapshot of who those physicians are, where they...
  • California needs a comprehensive strategy for primary care workforce development to alleviate a statewide shortfall of primary care providers that is projected to occur within the next 15 years. According to a report released June 12 by Healthforce Center, this comprehensive strategy should include...
  • In 2011, the Institute of Medicine (IOM, now part of the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine) released a report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” which contained eight recommendations regarding how the nursing workforce can best meet health-care needs in...
  • This report summarizes the findings from a survey of general acute care hospital employers of registered nurses (RNs) in California conducted in fall 2017. This is the eighth annual survey of hospital RN employers; these surveys provide an opportunity to evaluate overall demand for RNs in the state...
  • As the registered nurse (RN) baby boomers retire, there is a need for more highly skilled and experienced nurses in California, according to a new survey published by Healthforce Center at UCSF and the UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies. This report summarizes the findings from the eighth...
  • This qualitative descriptive study assesses perspectives of US community-based palliative care program leaders on staffing, recruitment, and training. Leaders from academic medical centers, large integrated and community health systems, home health and hospice organizations, and the Veterans...
  • While the demand for registered nurses (RNs) in California’s San Joaquin Valley is projected to grow by more than 35 percent by 2030, the region’s total number of RNs will decline. This will result in a serious shortfall that must be addressed now, according to our new report. This report presents...
  • Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) were designed to provide care in medically underserved areas and substantial and sustained federal funding has accelerated FQHC growth. This report examines changes over time in primary care provider supply and whether FQHCs have been successful in...
  • While it is difficult to know the true number of practicing geriatricians, the supply has been negatively affected by tightening certification requirements, relatively low income and negative return on investment. There appears to be consensus that clinical care by geriatricians should be reserved...
  • Demand for health care professionals with expertise in long-term care (LTC) and older populations is rising, due to projected growth in the older population and the increasing burden of chronic disease. One way to meet this growing LTC workforce demand may be to employ more nurse practitioners (NPs...
  • The 2016 Survey of California Registered Nurses is the tenth in a series of surveys designed to describe the population of registered nurses (RNs) licensed in California and to examine changes in this population over time. Other studies were completed in 1990, 1993, 1997, and every two years since...
  • This second report in a series of three Healthforce Center reports on primary care in California, unveils projections of a statewide primary care clinician shortfall in the next 15 years, with the most severe shortages in the Central Valley, Central Coast and Southern Border areas. Key Findings...
  • This report summarizes the findings from a survey of general acute care hospital employers of registered nurses (RNs) in California conducted in fall 2016. This is the seventh annual survey of hospital RN employers; together these surveys provide an opportunity to evaluate overall demand for RNs in...
  • Enrollment in Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, surged with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), from 8.6 million in September 2013 to 13.4 million three years later. Medi-Cal now covers nearly one in three Californians. These Medi-Cal enrollees benefit from no- or low-cost...
  • The Respiratory Care Board of California was facing numerous issues that were expected to affect the future of the respiratory care workforce. These issues included the impact of changing the educational requirement for entry into practice from an associate’s degree to a baccalaureate degree; the...
  • Is California prepared to meet growing demand for primary care? This report is the first in a series of three Healthforce Center at UCSF reports that will provide information to help policymakers, consumers and leaders of health care delivery organizations and educational institutions understand...
  • As labs face workforce shortages, could medical laboratory technicians (MLTs) help fill the gap? California faces laboratory workforce shortages to meet the healthcare demands of the population. This national study compares the California MLT workforce to the rest of the country. The California MLT...
  • The Black population in the US experiences disparities in oral health. Black adults are twice as likely to have unmet dental needs when compared to Whites and face many barriers to accessing dental care. What role could the lack of racial diversity in the dental workforce play? This study finds...
  • The purpose of this article is to describe the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) dentist workforce, the general practice patterns of these providers, and their contributions to oral health care for AI/AN and underserved patients. Full Publication
  • Registered Dental Hygienists in Alternative Practice (RDHAP) are licensed registered dental hygienists with specialized training that allow them to practice in settings outside of the traditional dental office. RDHAPs have been shown over the past 20 years to practice safely and effectively, and...
  • This study, which was published in Health Affairs, was the first major data analysis of hospital palliative care programs’ workforce. The growing field of palliative care, which affects nearly all Americans, focuses on improving quality of life for patients with serious illnesses – including...
  • The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program was established as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to increase the number of primary care physicians serving people in medically underserved areas of the US. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded...
  • A survey of Arizona health care employers was conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the spring of 2016. The survey captured responses from 59 percent of the community health centers (CHCs) in Maricopa County. This is the first survey of Maricopa County CHC employers and...
  • UCSF conducted the Survey of Health Care Employers in Arizona: Home Health Agencies, 2015 in the summer and fall of 2015. The survey elicited 25 unique responses, representing 11.4% of the total number of home health agencies in Arizona. Yuma, Gila, and Pinal Counties were not represented in this...
  • This report summarizes the findings from a survey of long-term care employers in Arizona conducted from the summer to the fall of 2015. This is the first survey of long-term care (LTC) employers in Arizona and provides an opportunity to evaluate overall demand for health care workers in the state....
  • This report presents findings from interviews with health care leaders across Arizona regarding the trends they are observing and their expectations for future health workforce needs. Sixteen health care leaders were interviewed to assess their plans in the face of health care delivery changes and...
  • This report summarizes findings from a first of its kind survey of hospital employers in Arizona conducted from summer to fall of 2015. The survey collected information specific to the hiring and training of newly graduated nurses because they are at particular risk for unemployment during a weak...
  • This study, which summarizes findings from a survey of general acute care hospital employers, was conducted in collaboration with the Hospital Association of Southern California and HealthImpact. This is the sixth annual survey of hospital registered nurse (RN) employers, and the survey results...
  • How will the Affordable Care Act impact demand for health care workers and their wages? The answer could mean good news for physicians and registered nurses, but bad news for health consumers: Increased wages will drive up insurance premiums and reduce the affordability of health insurance....
  • In 2011, the Institute of Medicine released a report calling for the creation of infrastructure to collect and analyze inter professional health workforce data to ensure that the US has an adequate workforce to meet future health care needs. But, very little progress has been made in the five years...

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