HEALTH SERVICES UTILIZATION

USUAL SOURCE OF CARE

Women who have a usual source of care (a place they usually go when they are sick) are more likely to receive preventive care,¹ to have access to care (as indicated by use of a physician or emergency room, or not delaying seeking care when needed),² to receive continuous care, and to have lower rates of hospitalization and lower health care costs.³ In 2003, the percentage of women reporting a usual source of care rose with age, from a low of 81.8 percent among women 18 to 24 years of age, to a high of 97.3 percent among those aged 65 years and older.

Usual sources of care varied among racial and ethnic groups. Hispanic women were the most likely to report no usual source of care (19.8 percent). Non-Hispanic White women were the most likely to report an office setting as a usual source of care (90.7 percent), while non-Hispanic Black women were the most likely to use a hospital outpatient clinic or an emergency room as a usual source of care (3.2 and 1.6 percent, respectively).

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¹Ettner SL. The relationship between continuity of care and the health behaviors of patients: does a usual physician make a difference? Medical Care 1999;37(6):647-55.

²Sox CM, Swartz K, Burstin HR, Brennan TA. Insurance or a regular physician: which is the most powerful predictor of health care? American Journal of Public Health 1998;88(3):364-70.

³Weiss LJ, Blustein J. Faithful patients: the effect of long-term physician-patient relationships on the cost and use of health care by older Americans. American Journal of Public Health 1996;86(12):1742-7.