Indicators of Health Care Quality by Income and Insurance Status among Individual with a Usual Source of Care, 2009. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief No. 367

摘要

Having a usual source of medical care (USC) is used frequently as an indicator of access to ambulatory care. Among those with a USC provider, however, the quality of care may vary substantially. Respect for patients preferences, soliciting patients opinions and clearly explaining treatment options are key to achieving high quality, patient centered medical care.1 In this Brief, we investigate several indicators of quality pertaining to patient centeredness among those with a USC provider and how they differ by household income and insurance status. We use responses from four questions on the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) pertaining to individuals perceptions of and experiences with their USC provider: 1. Thinking about the types of medical, traditional, and alternative treatments that you are happy with, how often does your providers how respect for these treatments (always or usually versus sometimes or never) 2. If there were a choice between treatments, how often would your provider ask you to help make the decision (always or usually versus sometimes or never) 3. Does your provider present and explain all options to you (yes or no) 4. Does your provider usually ask about prescription medications and treatments other doctors may give you (yes or no).