Visits to the physician: an evaluation of the usual-source effect.
Having a regular or usual source for medical care has frequently been found to be an important correlate of ambulatory visits to the physician. However, it remains unclear whether having a usual source is a determinant of visits, a consequence of visits, or both. This article addresses the question, how do these alternative theoretical relationships affect estimates of the relative impact of having a usual source on illness-related visits? The empirical results of a household interview survey generally support the significance of a usual-source variable as a determinant of illness-related visits, but they indicate that use of a single equation-estimation technique may overestimate the magnitude of this effect.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*