title: Patient factors associated with following a relocated primary care provider among older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To use a natural experiment to identify patient factors associated with the decision to follow one's primary care provider (PCP) to a more distant location after the closure of a medical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight months after the closure of a practice in Dundalk, Maryland, we randomly selected 140 patients older than 60 years from each of the following groups: those who followed their PCP (continuity group) and those who transferred to a closer clinic (proximity group). We designed a survey instrument to collect information about demographics, duration of the patient-PCP relationship, transportation, self-assessed driving proficiency, and patients' estimates of the distance in miles and the driving time in minutes from their homes to both practices. Chi2 tests and logistic regression analyses were used to determine differences between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate to the survey was 64%. More than 85% of patients in both groups had been with their original PCP for longer than 2 years. In multivariable analysis, the following 3 factors were associated with being a patient in the proximity group: living alone (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35-7.26), having greater physical disability (physical component summary score <40; OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.04-4.39), and perceiving that travel time from home to the farther clinic would require at least 10 minutes longer than the MapQuest estimate (OR, 4.08; 95% CI, 1.97-8.43).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older patients who live alone and are weaker seem to be more likely to forgo continuity with their PCP for the sake of convenience when a barrier to access occurs such as relocation of the physician to a more distant office.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine, Franklin Square Hospital Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Aysegul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gozu
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nidiry
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ratanawongsa
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carrese
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006271:Health Facility Closure; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires