TY - JOUR
T1 - Primary Care Quality
T2 - Community Health Center and Health Maintenance Organization
AU - Shi, Leiyu
AU - Starfield, Barbara
AU - Xu, Jiahong
AU - Politzer, Robert
AU - Regan, Jerrilyn
PY - 2003/8/1
Y1 - 2003/8/1
N2 - Objective: This study compares the primary health care quality of community health centers (CHCs) and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in South Carolina to elucidate the quality of CHC performance relative to mainstream settings such as the HMO. Methods: Mail surveys were used to obtain data from 350 randomly selected HMO users. Surveys with follow-up interviews were conducted to obtain data from 540 randomly selected CHC users. A validated adult primary care assessment tool was used in both surveys. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association of health care setting (HMO versus CHC) with primary care quality while controlling for sociodemographic and health care characteristics. Results: After controlling for sociodemographic and health care use measures, CHC patients demonstrated higher scores in several primary care domains (ongoing care, coordination of service, comprehensiveness, and community orientation) as well as total primary care performance. Conclusion: Users of CHC are more likely than HMO users to rate their primary health care provider as good, except in the area of case of first contact. The positive rating of the CHC is particularly impressive after taking into account that many CHC users have characteristics associated with poorer ratings of care.
AB - Objective: This study compares the primary health care quality of community health centers (CHCs) and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in South Carolina to elucidate the quality of CHC performance relative to mainstream settings such as the HMO. Methods: Mail surveys were used to obtain data from 350 randomly selected HMO users. Surveys with follow-up interviews were conducted to obtain data from 540 randomly selected CHC users. A validated adult primary care assessment tool was used in both surveys. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association of health care setting (HMO versus CHC) with primary care quality while controlling for sociodemographic and health care characteristics. Results: After controlling for sociodemographic and health care use measures, CHC patients demonstrated higher scores in several primary care domains (ongoing care, coordination of service, comprehensiveness, and community orientation) as well as total primary care performance. Conclusion: Users of CHC are more likely than HMO users to rate their primary health care provider as good, except in the area of case of first contact. The positive rating of the CHC is particularly impressive after taking into account that many CHC users have characteristics associated with poorer ratings of care.
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U2 - 10.1097/01.SMJ.0000066811.53167.2E
DO - 10.1097/01.SMJ.0000066811.53167.2E
M3 - Review article
C2 - 14515920
AN - SCOPUS:0141974892
SN - 0038-4348
VL - 96
SP - 787
EP - 795
JO - Southern medical journal
JF - Southern medical journal
IS - 8
ER -