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Stephen P. Flynn, MD
Hassler Center for Family Medicine Fairview General Hospital Cleveland

JAMA. 1985;253(14):2042.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

I read with interest the study by Wasson et al¹ about continuity of care. The study was a thorough and comprehensive attempt to demonstrate the effect of continuity on many health care outcomes.

Interestingly, most of the outcomes studied showed no significant differences between the continuous and discontinuous groups. In addition to patient satisfaction, the major difference was in the length of hospitalization, although the number of hospital admissions was similar for both groups. The reasons for the longer stays are unclear, but if discontinuous care was responsible, this would have significant economic implications. However, since continuity did not appear to affect other process outcomes (preventive measures, appointment-keeping behavior, or use of medications), I find it difficult to understand the association between continuous care and the decreased length of hospital stays.

Even if this association were to prove causative, it is interesting to note the level of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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