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The impact of seeing physicians new to a patient on the response to screening reminders
Jun Zhu1, James Davis, Deborah A Taira
1Hawaii Medical Service Association (an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association), Honolulu, HI 96808-0860, USA. jun_zhu@hmsa.com
Insights
Patients visiting a new physician after receiving health screening reminders were 6-8 times more likely to get screened. This highlights the importance of physician choice in preventive care uptake.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Preventive Medicine
- Health Outcomes
Background:
- Annual health screening reminders are mailed by a Hawaii insurer.
- This study investigated the link between physician characteristics and screening adherence.
- Screenings included breast, cervical, colorectal cancers, diabetes, and cholesterol.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine associations between physician visit characteristics and health screening receipt.
- To understand factors influencing adherence to recommended health screenings.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of members needing screenings (2000-2003).
- Analysis of 12 months post-reminder mailings using logistic regression.
- Examined physician visits, other health services, and screening receipt intervals.
Main Results:
- Members seeing new physicians had 6-8 times higher odds of receiving screenings.
- This effect was consistent across multiple reminder letters.
- Increased number of new physicians visited correlated with higher screening rates.
Conclusions:
- Seeing a new physician significantly increased health screening rates compared to established physicians.
- Healthcare screening may be prioritized more during initial visits with a new physician.
Background:
A large insurer in Hawaii mails annual reminders to its members regarding recommended health screenings. This study examined the associations between the characteristics of physicians visited after the reminders were sent and the health screenings received for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, and for diabetes and cholesterol.
Methods:
The study population included members identified as needing health screenings from 2000 to 2003 based on age and gender criteria. The study used a longitudinal design focusing on the 12 months after reminders were sent. Data were analyzed using logistic regression examining physician visits, other health services, and receipt of health screenings by 1-month intervals subsequent to the reminder mailings.
Results:
In adjusted, multivariable models, members who saw physicians they had not seen in the past year had odds ratios for obtaining health screenings 6 to 8 times higher than members who only saw previously visited physicians. This enhanced response occurred among members receiving their first, second, and third (or subsequent) annual reminder letter. The more physicians that were visited and who were new to the members, the more likely the members were to obtain health screenings.
Conclusions:
Members seeing physicians they had not seen in the past year had significantly higher screening rates than the members only seeing physicians they had previously visited. The results suggest that healthcare screening may receive less attention at repeat visits with a physician than at visits with a physician who is new to a member.
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