The Medical Home Experience of Low-income Children with Non-Urgent Encounters in Acute Care Settings

Purpose. Assess relationships between having a medical home and health care-seeking behavior attitudes among parents of low-income children with non-urgent encounters in acute settings (emergency, urgent care centers).

Methods. We analyzed data from 1,743 publicly insured children within non-urgent encounters. Parents completed surveys assessing medical home access and attitudes regarding health care-seeking behavior. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate relationships between medical home access and attitudes.

Results. Forty percent of children with non-urgent acute care encounters had medical homes. Having a medical home was positively associated with always calling the doctor before going to acute care settings and preference to take a child to their doctor if the doctor’s office was open evenings and weekends.

Conclusions. Although having a medical home is associated with positive attitudes regarding health care-seeking behavior, it may not suffice to overcome other barriers that precipitate non-urgentencounters.