Getting it all done. Organizational factors linked with comprehensive primary care.
BACKGROUND
Comprehensiveness, a defining feature of primary care (PC) is associated with patient satisfaction and improved health status. This paper evaluates comprehensive services in fee-for-service (FFS), Health Service Organizations (HSOs), Family Health Networks (FHNs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) payment models in Ontario.


OBJECTIVE
To assess how organizational models of PC differ in the delivery of comprehensive services and which organizational factors predict comprehensive PC delivery.


METHODS
Cross-sectional mixed-method study with nested qualitative case studies.


METHODS
PC practices in Ontario.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-seven PC practices (35 FFS, 32 HSO, 35 FHN and 35 CHC) and 358 providers.


METHODS
Surveys based on the Primary Care Assessment Tool and qualitative interviews.


METHODS
Comprehensiveness scores were calculated from practice report of clinical services offered in women's health, psychosocial counselling, procedural and diagnostic services. Confounding variables were calculated from provider and patient surveys. Performance at a model level was compared using analysis of variance. Multiple regressions then established factors independently associated with comprehensiveness.


RESULTS
CHCs offered significantly more comprehensive services (74%) than other models (61%-63%; P < 0.005). Thirty-five per cent of the variance in comprehensiveness was explained by a regression model that included the number of family physicians working at the practice, presence of other allied health providers, rurality and length of practice operation.


CONCLUSIONS
Practice size and diversity of providers seemed to partially explain the better performance of CHCs. Practice setting and, probably, practice maturity are significant drivers in the provision of comprehensive PC services. These factors warrant further examination in other PC environments.
C.T. Lamont Primary Health Care Research Centre, Elisabeth Bruyère Research Institute, 43 Bruyère Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. grant.russell@monash.edu.au
Grant
G
Russell
Simone
S
Dahrouge
Meltem
M
Tuna
William
W
Hogg
Robert
R
Geneau
Goshu
G
Gebremichael
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009864:Ontario; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration