The effect of capitation on switching primary care physicians.

Objective: To examine the relationship between patient case-mix, utilization, primary care physician (PCP) payment method, and the probability that patients switch their PCPs.

Data Sources/study Setting: Administrative enrollment and claims/encounter data for 1994-1995 from four physician organizations.

Study Design: We developed a conceptual model of patient switching behavior, which we used to guide the specification of multivariate logistic analyses focusing on interactions between patient case-mix, utilization, and PCP reimbursement methods.