Term: Continuity Of Care (COC) (Ambulatory)

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Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2020-02-24

Definition:

Continuity of Care (COC) measures the extent to which an indivudal patient sees a given provider over a specified period of time. In MCHP research, the focus of COC is on ambulatory visits to a provider.

In Katz et al. (2004), they "defined continuity of care as the proportion of the total care provided to a patient by any one particular physician during the study year. The continuity of care score for each physician represents an average of the proportion of care (measured by the cost of real visits) that a physician provided to all the patients who accessed him/her for care compared to other physicians who provided care for those same patients. Possible scores on the Continuity of Care Index (COCI) range from just greater than zero to one. For example, a physician who was a patient's only primary care physician (and who provided all care during the study year) is allocated a score of 1 for that patient. For a patient who accessed two physicians for equal proportions of his/her care, each of those physicians are allocated a score of 0.5."

NOTES:

• A provider may be defined either as an individual physician, a physician group practice, primary caregiver or a clinic. This definition includes general practitioners (GP)/ family physicians (FP), (now referred to as family physicians), nurse practitioners, and may also include specialist physicians (SP) depending on the focus of the research project.
  
  
• In several MCHP research projects, the term "Continuity of Care" is used to describe what is now called Majority of Care (Ambulatory).

Related concepts 

• Health Indicators: Indicators of Health Status and Healthcare Use
• Measuring Continuity of Care (Continuity of Care Index)
• Measuring Majority of Care
• Patient Allocation Algorithm: Assigning Patients to Physicians, Physician Groups or Clinics
• Regular Source of Care (RSOC)

Related terms 

• Ambulatory Visits - Physician
• Continuity of Care Index (COCI)
• Family Physician (FP) / Family Physicians
• General Practitioner (GP) / Family Practitioner (FP)
• Majority of Care (Ambulatory)
• Patient Allocation
• Patient Characteristics
• Physician Practice Characteristics
• Primary Care Providers
• Proportion of Visits to Usual Provider (Continuity of Care)
• Quality of Care
• Regular Source of Care (RSOC)
• Specialist Physicians (SP)

References 

• Katz A, De Coster C, Bogdanovic B, Soodeen R, Chateau D. Using Administrative Data to Develop Indicators of Quality in Family Practice. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2004. [Report] [Summary] (View)

Term used in 

• Brownell M, Chartier M, Au W, Schultz J. Evaluation of the Healthy Baby Program. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Brownell M, De Coster C, Penfold R, Derksen S, Au W, Schultz J, Dahl M. Manitoba Child Health Atlas Update. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2008. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Brownell M, Santos R, Kozyrskyj A, Roos N, Au W, Dik N, Chartier M, Girard D, Ekuma O, Sirski M, Tonn N, Schultz J. Next Steps in the Provincial Evaluation of the BabyFirst Program: Measuring Early Impacts on Outcomes Associated with Child Maltreatment. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2007. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Chartier M, Finlayson G, Prior H, McGowan K, Chen H, de Rocquigny J, Walld R, Gousseau M. Health and Healthcare Utilization of Francophones in Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2012. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Cree M, Roos NP, Yang Q, Carriere KC. Hypertension patients and their general practitioners. Healthcare Manage Forum 2001;14(2):33-40.(View)
• Fransoo R, Martens P, Burland E, The Need to Know Team, Prior H, Burchill C. Manitoba RHA Indicators Atlas 2009. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2009. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Fransoo R, Martens P, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, Chateau D, Walld R. Sex Differences in Health Status, Health Care Use, and Quality of Care: A Population-Based Analysis for Manitoba's Regional Health Authorities. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2005. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Frohlich N, Katz A, De Coster C, Dik N, Soodeen RA, Watson D, Bogdanovic B. Profiling Primary Care Physician Practice in Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2006. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Hilderman T, Katz A, Derksen S, McGowan K, Chateau D, Kurbis C, Allison S, Reimer JN. Manitoba Immunization Study. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2011. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Himelhoch S, Weller WE, Wu AW, Anderson GF, Cooper LA. Chronic medical illness, depression, and use of acute medical services among Medicare beneficiaries. Med Care 2004;42(6):512-521. [Abstract] (View)
• Katz A, Chateau D, Bogdanovic B, Taylor C, McGowan K-L, Rajotte L, Dziadek J. Physician Integrated Network: A Second Look. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2014. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] (View)
• Katz A, Martens P, Chateau D, Bogdanovic B, Koseva I, McDougall C, Boriskewich E. Understanding the Health System Use of Ambulatory Care Patients. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2013. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Liem JJ, Kozyrskyj AL, Huq S, Becker AB. The risk of developing food allergy in premature or low-birth-weight children. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007;119(5):1203-1209. [Abstract] (View)
• Martens P, Brownell M, Au W, MacWiliam L, Prior H, Schultz J, Guenette W, Elliott L, Buchan S, Anderson M, Caetano P, Metge C, Santos R, Serwonka K. Health Inequities in Manitoba: Is the Socioeconomic Gap in Health Widening or Narrowing Over Time? Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Martens P, Fransoo R, The Need to Know Team, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, Romphf L, Chateau D, Bailly A, Ouelette C. What Works? A First Look at Evaluating Manitoba's Regional Health Programs and Policies at the Population Level. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2008. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Martens PJ, Bartlett J, Burland E, Prior H, Burchill C, Huq S, Romphf L, Sanguins J, Carter S, Bailly A. Profile of Metis Health Status and Healthcare Utilization in Manitoba: A Population-Based Study. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2010. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
• Menec V, Sirski M, Attawar D. Does continuity of care matter in a universally insured population? Health Serv Res 2005;40:389-400. [Abstract] (View)
• Menec VH, Roos NP, Black C, Bogdanovic B. Characteristics of patients with a regular source of care. Can J Public Health 2001;92(4):299-303. [Abstract] (View)
• Mustard CA, Mayer T, Black C, Postl B. Continuity of pediatric ambulatory care in a universally insured population. Pediatrics 1996;98(6 Pt 1):1028-1034. [Abstract] (View)
• Roos NP, Fransoo R, Bogdanovic B, Friesen D, Frohlich N, Carriere KC, Patton D, Wall R. Needs-Based Planning for Manitoba's Generalist Physicians . Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, 1996. [Report] [Summary] (View)
• Shapiro E. Manitoba Health Care Studies and their Policy Implications (Report #91-04-01). Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, 1991. [Report] (View)