Table 3

Percentage of Primary Care Visits With Scheduled Follow-Up by Patient Characteristics and Visit Type, 2008-2015

2008a
n = 6,615b
n = 336,822,936c
%
2015a
n = 6,555b
n = 298,516,838c
%
8-Year Trend, Percentage
Point Changed
(95% CI)
Total population61.956.7−6.0 (−12.4 to 0.46)
Patient characteristics
Age, y
 18-2442.737.5−6.0 (−18.0 to 6.9)
 25-4452.848.2−5.2 (−13.0 to 2.6)
 44-6462.358.9−4.2 (−10.5 to 2.1)
 ≥6572.362.9−10.4 (−15.5 to –5.2)
Chronic conditions, no
 045.640.3−5.7 (−14.9 to 3.4)
 1-265.357.9−7.5 (−13.2 to –1.9)
 3-575.767.3−9.7 (−16.7 to –2.6)
 6-1080.571.7−6.1 (−12.6 to 0.4)
Visit type
Preventive visit49.555.03.6 (−5.7 to 13.0)
Acute visitse
 Upper respiratory infection38.732.8−4.9 (−19.0 to 9.2)
 Urinary tract infection43.028.0−12.3 (−35.4 to 10.7)
 Allergic rhinitis49.861.43.3 (−12.8 to 19.4)
 Joint pain52.950.0−4.2 (−11.5 to 3.1)
 Back pain58.853.0−5.3 (−10.3 to –0.4)
 Headache53.552.1−1.9 (−5.1 to 1.3)
Chronic condition visitse
 Hypertension82.474.0−10.2 (−14.1 to –6.4)
 Type 2 diabetes74.664.0−8.3 (−13.0 to –3.6)
 Mental illness82.076.4−12.2 (−18.7 to –5.7)
  • NACMS = National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

  • a Data as 3-year rolling averages.

  • b Unweighted number of NAMCS visits.

  • c Weighted number of NAMCS visits.

  • d 8-year trend calculated for each subgroup by multiplying per-year regression coefficient across study period.

  • e Diagnosis groups created by authors for analysis (see Supplemental Appendix, http://www.AnnFamMed.org/content/17/6/538/suppl/DC1).