ACCESS TO PRIMARY-CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES AT AN URBAN PUBLIC HOSPITAL WALK-IN CLINIC

The purpose of this study was to determine the regular source of prima ry care, the content of care, and barriers to accessing primary care f or 218 medically indigent adults with diabetes mellitus. Patients were surveyed at a public hospital walk-in clinic and were queried regardi ng demographics, regular source of care, and the content of care they received during the preceding year. Seventy percent of the patients we re medically uninsured, and 60 percent had household incomes under $10 ,001. Forty-three percent reported no regular source of care, and 18 p ercent named an episodic care site as their regular source. Patients w ith a regular source of primary care had twice as many annual ambulato ry visits as those without primary care. Patients with a regular sourc e of primary care reported more diabetic-related services than those w ithout. This patient population is largely poor and uninsured and has difficulty accessing primary care.