BY JOHN HOPKINS
The Cincinnati Enquirer
In the wake of allegations that black physicians are being excluded from managed care plans, Cincinnati city leaders took steps Wednesday to show their commitment to diversity in health care.
City council approved a motion that calls for the city to contract only with health insurance carriers who demonstrate a commitment to diversity of health care providers.
The motion, introduced by Councilwoman Minette Cooper, passed by a unanimous vote. Ms. Cooper also introduced a resolution urging the city's largest employers to follow the city's lead.
The actions are meant to address concerns raised by the Cincinnati Medical Association (CMA), an organization of black physicians. During a special public meeting Wednesday night at City Hall, Dr. Roosevelt Walker, vice president of the CMA, and several other black physicians addressed council's Health, Social and Children's Services Committee.
Nearly 60 people attended the meeting, in which Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield restated its plan to lead a task force to address cultural diversity in managed health care networks.
"The members of (CMA) feel most strongly that Anthem's announcement about their task force is a beginning, and certainly not an end," Dr. Walker said.
"We very strongly feel that managed care plans must demonstrate a sincere commitment to diversity. This commitment must begin at the highest administrative level, otherwise it will not be successful," Dr. Walker added.
The exclusion of black doctors has been a simmering national issue. Locally, it took center stage when Anthem recently dropped two highly respected black orthopedic surgeons from its most popular health plans.
Patients of the two doctors spoke at the meeting of their comfort level with the black physicians; of the anxiety caused by their recent removal.
Paul Beckman, president and chief executive officer of Paragon Health System, which manages Anthem's managed care networks in the Cincinnati area, vowed to create a broad-based task force to look into the issue. Local black physicians, however, made it clear they want to see a task force of substance.
"We have some concerns from the standpoint that this should be a partnership between the Cincinnati Medical Association, which brought these issues to the forefront," said Dr. Clyde Henderson, one of the doctors dropped by Anthem.
Dr. Thomas Shockley was the other orthopedic surgeon. Of an estimated 4,000 physicians in the Cincinnati area, about 90 are black. Those numbers are improvements from decades past, but Dr. Shockley wondered how much progress there really has been.
"It seems to me, in many instances, that we're going backward in this community, in this city," Dr. Shockley said.
Said Dr. O'dell Owens: "I find it extremely uncomfortable that here, in 1998, we're still dealing with issues of diversity. It is sad."
