A new study suggests that first-contact accessibility in primary care settings, in addition to provider continuity, promotes use of preventive services, such as cholesterol screening and prostate examinations, according to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality publication.
For their study, researchers collected data on 5,507 insured adults in Wisconsin who had a usual physician they relied upon for medical care. All had participated in the 2003-2006 round of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. To determine first-contact accessibility, participants could rate eight items from excellent to poor. These included things such as office hours, location of the doctor's office, waiting room times, ability to make phone appointments, amount of time spent with the doctor and how easy it was to receive advice over the telephone.
Researchers found 18 percent had high ratings for their first-contact accessibility in addition to continuity of care with their physician. In the past year, 83 percent of eligible women received a mammogram, 78 percent of men had a prostate examination and 63 percent of participants had a flu shot. In addition, the vast majority (90 percent) received a cholesterol test. Adding first-contact access to existing continuity of care with a primary care physician boosted the likelihood of receiving preventive services compared to just having continuity of care alone.
For their study, researchers collected data on 5,507 insured adults in Wisconsin who had a usual physician they relied upon for medical care. All had participated in the 2003-2006 round of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. To determine first-contact accessibility, participants could rate eight items from excellent to poor. These included things such as office hours, location of the doctor's office, waiting room times, ability to make phone appointments, amount of time spent with the doctor and how easy it was to receive advice over the telephone.
Researchers found 18 percent had high ratings for their first-contact accessibility in addition to continuity of care with their physician. In the past year, 83 percent of eligible women received a mammogram, 78 percent of men had a prostate examination and 63 percent of participants had a flu shot. In addition, the vast majority (90 percent) received a cholesterol test. Adding first-contact access to existing continuity of care with a primary care physician boosted the likelihood of receiving preventive services compared to just having continuity of care alone.
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