According to research published in BMJ, seniors who consistently visit the same primary care physician were less likely to be admitted to the hospital for conditions that their primary care physician could help manage, Healio.com reported.

Heavy users of primary care experienced more admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions than other patients, with 0.36 admissions per patient for those with 18 or more contacts with a general practitioner, compared with 0.04 admissions per patient for those with two to four contacts. In addition, continuity of care was lower among practices with more doctors, with the average score 0.59 in large practices vs. 0.7 in small practices.

Researchers also stated higher continuity of care was associated with fewer admissions for the conditions the primary care physician could “at least in theory” help manage, such as asthma and gangrene, and conditions potentially avoidable by vaccine such as pneumonia and influenza.

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