Variation in Follow-Up Visit Practices Across Clinicians and Conditions: Findings From a University Cardiology Practice

Health Services Research & Managerial Epidemiology

Caterina YuanLiu¹ 

关键词: follow-up;    practice patterns;    ambulatory care;    cardiology;   

DOI  :  10.1177/2333392815620185

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

Background:Specialty care access is increasingly constrained due to increasing demand for specialty care. Although much attention has been placed on the initial referral decision, much less is known about follow-up visit patterns. We examined the patterns of follow-up visits for new patients to a university-based cardiology practice and identified independent predictors of follow-up visits.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study of new patient visits using electronic medical record data. The primary outcome was a follow-up visit.Results:Substantial variation in practice patterns by provider persisted after accounting for patient and disease factors. Most follow-up care was concentrated in a small population of patients.Conclusion:Specialty care follow-up visits may represent a significant opportunity for standardization and quality improvement, and further studies are warranted to understand follow-up visits in specialty care.Implications:Better understanding of between-provider differences could ide...

【 授权许可】

CC BY