Who Provides Primary Care? An Assessment of HIV Patient and Provider Practices and Preferences.

Background: Non-AIDS co-morbidities are emerging as the main health problems for those living with HIV, and primary care for this population is an evolving challenge. Recent studies have raised the question of whether specialists or generalists are best suited to provide HIV primary care, but patients' actual usage patterns and the preferences of patients and providers have not been well studied.

Methods: We anonymously surveyed 98 patients and eight HIV-specialized providers regarding primary care usage patterns and preferences at an academic HIV clinic in Los Angeles that serves insured patients.