Table 3. Descriptive analysis of those who reported that their primary care physician seemed uninformed about the care received from the specialist physician (n = 16,442).
| Respondents’ Characteristics | Primary care physician seemed informed about the care received from the specialist physician n (%) | Standardized Mean Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | ||
| 14,144 (85.1) | 2,298 (14.9) | ||
| Sex | |||
| Female | 8,332 (54.3) | 1,457 (60.4) | 0.13 |
| Male | 5,912 (45.7) | 823 (39.6) | |
| Age (mean, SE) | 52.9 (0.22) | 44.0 (0.42) | 0.51 |
| Age category | |||
| 16–39 | 2,433 (25.1) | 787 (45.5) | 0.42 |
| 40–64 | 6,618 (42.4) | 1,109 (40.8) | -0.03 |
| 65–84 | 4,715 (29.6) | 379 (12.9) | -0.42 |
| 85+ | 373 (1.9) | 23 (0.8) | -0.1 |
| Rurality | |||
| Large urban (RIO score 0) | 5,165 (43.4) | 839 (44.0) | 0.01 |
| Medium urban (RIO score 1–9) | 3,756 (27.8) | 668 (29.6) | 0.04 |
| Small urban (RIO score 10–39) | 3,530 (20.2) | 543 (19.6) | -0.02 |
| Rural (RIO score 40+) | 1,693 (8.6) | 248 (6.8) | -0.07 |
| Self-reported education | |||
| High school | 4,428 (29.2) | 508 (20.2) | -0.21 |
| College or bachelor’s degree | 7,864 (56.1) | 1,442 (64.6) | 0.18 |
| Graduate-professional degree | 1,734 (13.9) | 334 (14.4) | 0.02 |
| Missing | 118 (0.8) | 14 (0.8) | |
| Self-reported financial situation | |||
| Very comfortable | 2,215 (15.8) | 339 (14.1) | -0.05 |
| Comfortable | 8,371 (60.3) | 1,291 (56.9) | -0.07 |
| Tight/very tight/poor | 3,177 (31.3) | 622 (26.9) | -0.13 |
| Don’t know or refused | 381 (2.6) | 46 (2.1) | -0.03 |
| Language most often spoken at home | |||
| English or French | 12,784 (86.2) | 2,042 (85.0) | -0.03 |
| Other | 1,360 (13.8) | 256 (15.0) | |
| Primary care physician or clinic booked the appointment or coordinated care with the specialist * | |||
| Yes | 3,780 (83.3) | 526 (64.5) | 0.27 |
| No | 677 (15.4) | 248 (34.4) | -0.30 |
| NA/I don’t know | 63 (1.3) | 9 (1.1) | 0.11 |
| Received conflicting information from primary care provider and specialist ** | |||
| Yes | 4,440 (85.9) | 555 (73.9) | -0.44 |
| No | 613 (12.2) | 194 (22.3) | 0.45 |
| Don’t know/Refused | 103 (1.9) | 31 (3.8) | -0.02 |
| Self-reported waited to see a specialist | |||
| 2 weeks | 4,184 (30.8) | 501 (24.2) | -0.15 |
| 3–8 weeks | 5,895 (41.2) | 884 (39.6) | -0.03 |
| More than 8 weeks | 4,065 (28.0) | 913 (36.2) | 0.18 |
| Number of specialty types receiving care from | |||
| 1 type | 1,379 (11.7) | 340 (17.7) | 0.18 |
| 2 types | 1,864 (14.1) | 384 (17.9) | 0.10 |
| 3 types or more | 10,901 (74.2) | 1,574 (64.4) | -0.22 |
| Types of primary care models *** | |||
| Solo FFS | 608 (4.9) | 100 (5.6) | -0.03 |
| Enhanced FFS | 4,023 (33.2) | 705 (34.7) | 0.03 |
| Non-team Capitation | 4,283 (31.7) | 665 (30.3) | -0.02 |
| Team Capitation | 4,843 (29.3) | 768 (28.6) | -0.01 |
| Other PEM models | 387 (0.9) | 60 (0.8) | 0.03 |
| Self-reported use of a walk-in clinic in the last 12 months | |||
| Yes | 4,090 (32.2) | 935 (45.1) | 0.27 |
| No | 9,983 (67.3) | 1,347 (54.1) | -0.27 |
| I don’t know/Refused | 71 (0.5) | 16 (0.8) | 0.04 |
| Complexity score based on CIHI Pop Grouper (mean, SE) | 1.8 (0.03) | 1.2 (0.04) | 0.28 |
| Total visits to any primary care physician over two years (mean, SE) | 13.9 (0.17) | 12.0 (0.34) | 0.15 |
| Total visits to the rostered primary care physician over two years (mean, SE) | 9.7 (0.16) | 7.7 (0.20) | 0.22 |
| Total visits to any specialist physicians over two years (mean, SE) | 16.3 (0.18) | 12.7 (0.34) | 0.23 |
Note: Reporting raw counts, weighted proportions, and weighted means.
*Added in wave 6 and dropped in wave 15 of the survey and calculated for smaller sample size. Included only for descriptive purposes.
** Added in wave 20 of the survey and calculated for smaller sample size. Included only for descriptive purposes.
*** Solo FFS: Patients are not formally part of an enrolment model but receive care from a regular primary care physician who is paid purely fee-for-service. Enhanced Fee-for-Service includes Comprehensive Care Model and Family Health Group where physicians are paid a mix of fee-for-service along with bonuses and premiums. Non-team Capitation includes Capitation models, i.e., Family Health Organization and Family Health Network where physicians are paid a mix of capitation payment, bonuses, premiums, and fee-for-service but they are not signatory to a Family Health Team (FHT). FHTs are interdisciplinary models of care. Team Capitation: Capitation models, i.e., Family Health Organization and Family Health Network, are part of a Family Health Team (FHT). Other PEM models include smaller specialized patient enrolment models.