Measuring provider continuity in ambulatory care: an assessment of alternative approaches.

A comparison is made of existing measures of provider continuity in ambulatory care to assess differences and limitations. New measures are proposed that complement and improve upon certain limitations of existing measures. These measures are applied to a pilot study of hypertensive patients being seen in a medical outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital. The need for further development and refinement of continuity measures is indicated, and a unifying framework for measuring provider continuity is suggested.