An Algorithm Using Administrative Data to Identify Patient Attachment to a Family Physician. (27th August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Provost, Sylvie; Pérez, José; Pineault, Raynald; Borgès Da Silva, Roxane; Tousignant, Pierre
• Other Names: Chew-Graham Carolyn Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: International journal of family medicine. Volume 2015(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-08-27
• Subjects: Family medicine -- Periodicals; Family Practice; Family medicine; Periodical; Periodicals; Electronic journals; Fulltext; Internet Resources; Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1155/2015/967230
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2090-2042

Abstract

Abstract : Background. Commonly self-reported questions in population health surveys, such as "do you have a family physician?", represent one of the best-known sources of information about patients' attachment to family physicians. Is it possible to find a proxy for this information in administrative data? Objective. To identify the type of patient attachment to a family physician using administrative data. Methods. Using physician fee-for-service database and patients enrolment registries (Quebec, Canada, 2008–2010), we developed a step-by-step algorithm including three dimensions of the physician-patient relationship: patient enrolment with a physician, complete annual medical examinations (CME), and concentration of visits to a physician. Results. 68.1% of users were attached to a family physician; for 34.4% of them, attachment was defined by enrolment with a physician, for 31.5%, by CME without enrolment, and, for 34.1%, by concentration of visits to a physician without enrolment or CME. Eight types of patient attachment were described. Conclusion. When compared to findings with survey data, our measure comes out as a solid conceptual framework to identify patient attachment to a family physician in administrative databases. This measure could be of great value for physician/patient-based cohort development and impact assessment of different types of patient attachment on health services utilization.