Race and evaluation of health care providers: theoretical and methodological issues

Increasing attention has been given to racial inequities in health care quality. As part of the movement to assess inequities and uncover their source, researchers have used patient ratings of health care providers as an indicator of health care experiences. Despite growing interest in this area, an adequate theoretical framework for guiding this research has not been offered. Sociology can bring together the theoretical and methodological tools essential for insightful analysis of this problem. In this paper, I offer a theoretical approach to analyzing African American and white differences in evaluation of outpatient health care providers. In addition, I discuss some of the methodological implications of the approach and organize findings from the existing research.