Community Health Centers Maintained Care Continuity During Covid-19 Pandemic

As nan COVID-19 pandemic upended virtually each facet of people's lives, 1 captious mobility loomed ample for millions of low-income and underserved healthcare patients: Would they still beryllium capable to spot their ain doctor?

Researchers astatine Case Western Reserve University and nan OCHIN nonprofit consultancy conducted a comprehensive, nationwide study of community-based wellness centers-the frontline superior attraction providers serving millions of America's astir susceptible patients. The goal: to measure really consistently patients were capable to spot their superior attraction supplier before, during and aft nan COVID-19 pandemic.

The study, published successful Annals of Family Medicine, tracked connected mean 354,000 patients treated astatine 186 organization wellness centers yearly from 2019 to 2023. The researchers recovered that nan centers maintained consistently precocious levels of continuous attraction passim nan five-year study. 

For these patients, a organization wellness halfway is not conscionable a convenience-it is their only option. Knowing that these centers maintained consistent, high-quality attraction passim 1 of nan astir turbulent periods successful modern healthcare history is profoundly meaningful for nan communities they serve.

Our findings uncover a singular communicative of resilience contempt nan unprecedented disruption of nan COVID-19 pandemic, which forced healthcare systems crossed nan state to cancel appointments, displacement to telehealth and run nether terrible staffing constraints."

Kurt C. Stange, Distinguished University Professor and nan Dorothy Jones Weatherhead Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine

The methodology

The researchers gauged continuity utilizing nan Usual Provider of Care (UPC) index, which measures really consistently patients were capable to beryllium treated by their superior attraction supplier alternatively than a different clinician astatine each visit. A people of 1.0 represents cleanable continuity-meaning a diligent saw nan aforesaid supplier for each visit.

The median UPC people was 1.0 each year-the highest imaginable level-even during nan tallness of nan pandemic. The mean UPC varied from a debased of 0.822 successful 2020 to a precocious of 0.831 successful 2021-so it was consistently high. 

But nan study besides identified immoderate flaws.

"When we dug deeper into nan 2023 data, we recovered that not each patients knowledgeable nan aforesaid level of attraction continuity," Stange said. "Significant gaps emerged on racial, ethnic, economical and demographic lines."

Patients little apt to spot their ain expert consistently:

• Patients pinch aggregate chronic conditions faced greater trouble seeing nan aforesaid supplier consistently.

• Hispanic patients faced little attraction continuity among some adults and children.

• Black and African American patients faced little attraction continuity among adults.

• Low-income patients-those surviving beneath 138% of nan national poorness level- were little apt to execute accordant care.

• Telehealth users-both adults and children-were little apt to execute accordant care.

• Patients astatine ample clinics faced little continuity than those astatine smaller practices.

"The differences identified successful this study occurred moreover successful these organization wellness centers focused connected caring for historically underserved populations," Stange said. "These disparities are targets for systematic intervention-specific, identifiable gaps that healthcare systems, policymakers and organization wellness centers tin reside truthful that everyone tin person nan advantages of being cared for by a clinician who knows them."