Patient reports of the quality of care in community health centers: the importance of having a regular provider.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the importance of having a regular provider in community health centers (CHCs) for high quality care.

METHODS

Analyses of a national survey-the Commonwealth Fund 2006 Health care Quality Survey-among patients with a private doctor's (PMD) office (n=1,743) or CHC (n=275) as their regular source of care. Outcomes include prevention measures, and measures of patient experience.

RESULTS

Patients at CHCs are less likely than patients who use a PMD to report having a regular doctor (53% vs. 95%, p<or=.001). They also report lower rates for all the preventive care and patient experience measures. However, the differences in quality are eliminated when CHC patients have a regular provider.

CONCLUSIONS

When CHC patients have a regular provider, they receive higher quality care. Policymakers should support expansions of the CHC health care workforce to ensure patients have access to a regular provider, which leads to higher quality care.