Does Ownership Make a Difference in Primary Care Practice?

Publication/Presentation Date

5-1-2019

Abstract

PURPOSE: We assessed differences in structural characteristics, quality improvement processes, and cardiovascular preventive care by ownership type among 989 small to medium primary care practices.

METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis used electronic health record and survey data collected between September 2015 and April 2017 as part of an evaluation of the EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health in Primary Care Initiative by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. We compared physician-owned practices, health system or medical group practices, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) by using 15 survey-based practice characteristic measures, 9 survey-based quality improvement process measures, and 4 electronic health record-based cardiovascular disease prevention quality measures, namely, aspirin prescription, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation support (ABCS).

RESULTS: Physician-owned practices were more likely to be solo (45.0% compared with 8.1%,

CONCLUSIONS: Primary care practice ownership was associated with differences in quality improvement process measures, with FQHCs reporting the highest use of such quality-improvement strategies. ABCS were mostly unrelated to ownership, suggesting a complex path between quality improvement strategies and outcomes.

Volume

32

Issue

3

First Page

398

Last Page

407

ISSN

1558-7118

Disciplines

Family Medicine

PubMedID

31068404

Department(s)

Department of Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine Faculty

Document Type

Article

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