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An Algorithm Using Administrative Data to Identify Patient Attachment to a Family Physician
Sylvie Provost1, José Pérez2, Raynald Pineault3
1Direction de Santé Publique du Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et Services Sociaux du Centre-Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, 1301 rue Sherbrooke E., Montréal, QC, Canada H2L 1M3 ; Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, 3480 rue Saint-Urbain, Hôtel-Dieu (Pavillon Masson), Montréal, QC, Canada H4W 1Y1 ; Institut de Recherche en Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, 7101 avenue du Parc, Montréal, QC, Canada H3N 1X9.
Administrative data can identify patient attachment to a family physician. This method uses physician enrolment, complete annual medical exams, and visit concentration to define attachment types.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Family Medicine
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Population health surveys commonly ask about family physician attachment.
- Administrative data may offer a proxy for this patient information.
- The study explores identifying patient attachment using administrative databases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and categorize patient attachment to a family physician.
- To develop a method using administrative data for this identification.
- To assess the validity of administrative data for measuring physician attachment.
Main Methods:
- Utilized physician fee-for-service data and patient registries in Quebec (2008-2010).
- Developed a step-by-step algorithm based on three dimensions: patient enrolment, complete annual medical examinations (CME), and visit concentration.
- Analyzed data to define different types of patient-physician relationships.
Main Results:
- 68.1% of individuals were found to be attached to a family physician.
- Attachment was categorized: 34.4% by enrolment, 31.5% by CME (no enrolment), and 34.1% by visit concentration (no enrolment or CME).
- Eight distinct types of patient attachment were identified and described.
Conclusions:
- The developed measure provides a robust framework for identifying family physician attachment in administrative databases.
- This approach offers a valuable tool for cohort development and assessing the impact of attachment on health services utilization.
- Administrative data offers a viable alternative to survey data for understanding patient-physician relationships.
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