Lessons in Linking After-Hours Care to Primary Care

The study, “After-Hours Care and its Coordination with Primary Care in the U.S.,” by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) published online in The Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) identified five models of after-hours care coordinated with primary care: same PCP all the time; PCP plus practice partners, usually with limited extended hours and 24-7 phone coverage; PCP plus small, local cross-coverage network, usually 24-7 phone coverage and sometimes extended hours; PCP plus large cross-coverage network that may have multiple sites with extended hours and may own an urgent care center or after-hours clinic; and PCP contracting with an urgent care center or after-hours clinic.

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