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Foreign Physicians: Discriminatory Patient Preferences and Doctor Availability

Author

Listed:
  • Walker, Brigham

    (Tulane University)

  • Wisniewski, Janna

    (Tulane University)

  • Tinkler, Sarah

    (Portland State University)

  • Stano, Miron

    (Oakland University)

  • Sharma, Rajiv

    (Portland State University)

Abstract

Roughly a quarter of physicians in the United States are either international medical graduates (IMGs) or foreign-born physicians (FBPs). We propose a theoretical model where patient preferences that disfavor IMGs and FBPs may result in those physicians offering better access to their services compared with non-IMGs/FBPs in equilibrium. We use data from two field experiments to test the predictions from the model: one concerning patient preferences and the other concerning physician availability. In the patient preferences field experiment, we find that patients strongly prefer doctors educated in the United States to IMGs by about 2-to-1. In the physician availability field experiment, we find that US-born physicians generally have lower levels of availability including offering fewer appointments and longer wait times. These results indicate a substantial underutilization of FBPs relative to US-born physicians and suggest that a sizable share of the US healthcare provider base is unfairly disadvantaged based on nativity.

Suggested Citation

  • Walker, Brigham & Wisniewski, Janna & Tinkler, Sarah & Stano, Miron & Sharma, Rajiv, 2023. "Foreign Physicians: Discriminatory Patient Preferences and Doctor Availability," IZA Discussion Papers 15951, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15951
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Becker, Gary S., 1971. "The Economics of Discrimination," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 2, number 9780226041162, August.
    2. Frank Sloan & Janet Mitchell & Jerry Cromwell, 1978. "Physician Participation in State Medicaid Programs," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Physician and Patient Behavior, pages 211-245, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Sharma, Rajiv & Mitra, Arnab & Stano, Miron, 2015. "Insurance, race/ethnicity, and sex in the search for a new physician," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 150-153.
    4. Marianne Bertrand & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(4), pages 991-1013, September.
    5. Rajiv Sharma & Sarah Tinkler & Arnab Mitra & Sudeshna Pal & Raven Susu‐Mago & Miron Stano, 2018. "State Medicaid fees and access to primary care physicians," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(3), pages 629-636, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pruckner, Gerald J. & Stiftinger, Flora & Zocher, Katrin, 2025. "When women take over: Physician gender and health care provision," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination

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