RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Effects of Telephone Visits and Rurality on Veterans Perceptions of Access to Primary Care
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 749
OP 751
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2019.05.190047
VO 32
IS 5
A1 Michelle Lampman
A1 Susan Stockdale
A1 Peter J. Kaboli
A1 Erin Jaske
A1 G. Blake Wood
A1 Walter L. Clinton
A1 Greg Stewart
YR 2019
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/32/5/749.abstract
AB Introduction: The objectives of this study were to examine if self-reported access to primary care is associated with actual patient wait times and use of telephone visits, and to assess whether this relationship differs by rural residence.Methods: This study used 2016 administrative data from 994 primary care clinics within the Veterans Health Administration. Multiple-linear regression was used to examine relationships between patient perceptions of access and average actual patient wait time, use of telephone visits, and rural residence. Average panel size, clinic type, and panel severity were included as model covariates with cross-product terms for actual wait time, telephone use, and rurality to test for interactions.Results: This study found patient perceptions of access aggregated at the clinic level to be conditional on the relationship between use of telephone visits, actual patient wait times, and rural residence. As actual wait time for routine appointments increases, Veterans served by clinics with a higher percent of rural Veterans perceive telephone visits more positively.Discussion: These findings contribute to our understanding of factors associated with patient perceptions of access by highlighting complex interrelationships between strategies intended to improve access to care and how they can have differing impacts on perceptions among those living in rural or urban locations.