The Impact of the Adoption of a Patient Rostering Model on Patient Access and Continuity of Care

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Authors

Singh, Jatinderpreet

Date

Type

thesis

Language

eng

Keyword

Primary Care , Patient Rostering , Patient Access , Continuity of Care , Primary Care Reform , Pimary Care Model

Research Projects

Organizational Units

Journal Issue

Alternative Title

Abstract

Context: Greater continuity and access to primary care results in improved patient health, satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs. Although patient rostering is considered to be a cornerstone of a high performing primary care system and is believed to improve continuity and access, few studies have examined these relationships. Objective: Examine the impact of the adoption of a patient rostering enhanced fee-for-service model (eFFS) on continuity, coordination of specialized care, and access. Design: Population-based longitudinal study using health administrative data. Setting: Urban family practices in Ontario, Canada. Participants: Family physicians that transitioned from traditional FFS (tFFS) to eFFS between 2004 and 2013 were followed overtime. Physicians providing comprehensive primary care that had at least four years of pre-transition and two years of post-transition data were eligible. Patients were attributed to physicians on an annual basis by determining the provider that billed the largest dollar amount over a two year period. Outcomes: 1) Continuity (usual provider of care index (UPC)), 2) Coordination of specialized care (Referral index (RI): % of total primary care referrals for a physician’s roster made by main provider), 3) Emergency department visits for family practice sensitive conditions (FPSCs). Analysis: Mixed-effects segmented linear and logistic regressions were used to examine changes in outcomes while controlling for patient and provider contextual factors. Results: Prior to transitioning, UPC was decreasing at a rate of 0.27%/year (95% CI: -0.34 to -0.21, p<0.0001). Following the transition, UPC began decreasing by an additional 0.59%/year (95% CI: -0.69 to -0.49, p<0.0001) compared to the pre-transition rate. RI decreased by an additional 0.34%/year (95% CI: -0.43 to -0.24, p<0.0001) relative to the pre-transition period, where it had been stable. The transition had minimal impact on FPSC ED visits. Conclusion: Continuity and coordination of specialized care slightly decreased upon transition from tFFS to eFFS. This is likely due to physicians working in groups and sharing patients following the transition to the eFFS model. Adoption of an enrolment model with after-hours care did not decrease non-urgent ED use, which may reflect the small impact that primary care access has on these types of ED visits.

Description

Citation

Publisher

License

CC0 1.0 Universal
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.

Journal

Volume

Issue

PubMed ID

External DOI

ISSN

EISSN