Patients report better satisfaction with part-time primary care physicians, despite less continuity of care and access.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The growing number of primary care physicians (PCPs) reducing their clinical work hours has raised concerns about meeting the future demand for services and fulfilling the continuity and access mandates for patient-centered care. However, the patient's experience of care with part-time physicians is relatively unknown, and may be mediated by continuity and access to care outcomes.

Objective

We aimed to examine the relationships between a physicians' clinical full-time equivalent (FTE), continuity of care, access to care, and patient satisfaction with the physician.

Design

We used a multi-level structural equation estimation, with continuity and access modeled as mediators, for a cross-section in 2010.

Participants

The study included family medicine (

SUBMITTER: Panattoni L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4351271 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature