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 2004, almost 90 percent of women reported having a usual source of care. Women of all racial and ethnic groups were more likely than men to have a usual source of care, with Asians being the sole exception. Among women, non-Hispanic Whites were most likely to report a usual source of care (91.5 percent), followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (90.3 percent); Hispanic women were least likely to report a usual source of care (77.8 percent).

In 2004, 86.5 percent of women reported an office-based source of care (such as a physician’s office), while fewer than 1 percent reported an emergency department as their usual source. This varied by citizenship status: women born in the United States were more likely to report an office-based usual source of care and non-citizen residents of the United States were less likely. Non-citizens were also the most likely to report no usual source of care.

> VERTICAL CHART: Adults Aged 18 and Older with a Usual Source of Care, by Race/Ethnicity, 2004

> VERTICAL CHART:Usual Source of Care Among Women Aged 18 and Older, by Immigration Status, 2004

¹ Ettner 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.

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

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