Introduction: Background/Context

The connection between Chronic Pain, Diversity, and Equity

• Underserved patients tend to lack access to medical care, especially chronic pain treatments.

• 10%-15% of patients present to their primary care physician with chronic pain. (1)

• Primary care physicians often act as a patient’s chronic pain physician, and treat a large bulk of chronic pain issues, especially among underserved patients. (2)

• At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a large portion of our patients fall under Medicare or Medicaid.

• As a medical center with 886 licensed beds and 2100 physicians, Cedars-Sinai also treats the largest number of Medicare and Medicaid patients within Southern California.

• Although chronic pain anesthesiologists have expertise for managing pain, internal medicine residents and attendings act as the first point of contactfortheseunderservedanddiverse patient populations.