Abstract
Approximately 7 of 10 (and 95% of the elderly) people in US health plans see one or more specialists in a year. Controlling for extent of morbidity, discontinuity of primary care physician visits is associated with seeing more different specialists. Having a general internist as the primary care physician is associated with more different specialists seen. Controlling for differences in the degree of morbidity, receiving care from multiple specialists is associated with higher costs, more procedures, and more medications, independent of the number of visits and age of the patient.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 216-225 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Ambulatory Care Management |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2009 |
Keywords
- Continuity of care
- Costs of care
- Family physicians
- General internists
- Primary Care
- Resource use
- Specialist care
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Policy