Client demographics and service characteristics of California Title X and non-Title X family planning providers

The national Title X family planning program is a critical element in the provision of high quality reproductive healthcare and contraceptive services to U.S. women and men. In California, all Title X clinics are enrolled in Family PACT, the state's Medicaid family planning waiver program. We analyzed Family PACT provider and client enrollment databases and conducted a survey of 1,070 family planning providers in California to describe how Title X clinics differ from non-Title X public and private clinics. On average, clinics that have received Title X funding for four or more years provide services to three times more clients a year than non-Title X clinics (3,489 vs. 1,073). Non-Title X public clinics are more likely to be in rural areas. Clients at Title X funded clinics were on average younger and had a smaller family size and lower parity than those at non-Title X funded clinics. Private providers were more likely to serve Latino patients and had the highest proportions of male clients. Compared to non-Title X providers, Title X clinics were significantly more likely to have expanded clinic hours (70% vs. 46%), interpreter services (52% vs 23%), electronic health records (30% vs 20%) , on-site services and outreach to target groups such as teens or migrant workers. Even when core funding for clinical services is provided, Title X funding is critical to maximize clinic efficiency, leverage existing provider networks, and expand them to reach the greatest proportion of patients in need while maintaining the highest quality of care.