title: Medical home and pediatric primary care utilization among children with special health care needs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The medical home model seeks to improve health care delivery by enhancing primary care. This study examined the relationship between the presence of a medical home and pediatric primary care office visits by children with special health care needs (CSHCN) using the data from 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Healthcare Needs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When CSHCN age, gender, ethnicity/race, functional status, insurance status, household education, residence, and income were included in the model, CSHCN with a medical home were 1.6 times more likely to have six or more annual pediatric primary care office visits than were children without a medical home [odds ratio = 1.60, 95% confidence interval = (1.47, 1.75)]. Female CSHCN, younger CSHCN, children with public health insurance, children with severe functional limitations, and CSHCN living in rural areas also were more likely to have a larger number of visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By controlling for child sociodemographic characteristics, this study provides empirical evidence about how medical home availability affects primary care utilization by CSHCN.
authors.affiliation: Valley Community Clinic, General Medicine, North Hollywood, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn Ann
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Willits
authors.forename: Elena A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Platonova
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nies
authors.forename: Elizabeth F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Racine
authors.forename: Meredith L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Troutman
authors.forename: Henry L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010372:Pediatrics; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*