PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Personal Doctor or Health Care Provider

Why Is This Important?

As each new health care need arises, an individual's first point of contact with the health care system is typically his or her personal doctor. In most cases a personal doctor can effectively and efficiently manage a patient's medical care because they understand that person's medical history and social background. Having a regular source of health care is also an indicator of overall access to care.

Data Source

Utah Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) [https://ibis.utah.gov/ibisph-view/query/selection/brfss/BRFSSSelection.html]

Risk Factors

In 2022, males were significantly less likely than females to have a personal doctor or health care provider (75.5% and 85.5%, respectively, age-adjusted rates).

How Are We Doing?

In 2022, 79.8% (crude rate) of Utah adults reported having at least one person they think of as their personal doctor or health care provider. However, 20.2% of Utahns did not have a personal doctor or health care provider. Lack of a primary care provider was more common among young adults, especially men ages 18 to 34 (only 59.7% reported having a personal doctor) in 2022. In 2020-2022, Salt Lake City (Glendale) V2 (65.9%), West Valley (East) V2 (67.5%), and Salt Lake City (Rose Park) (67.8%) small areas had the lowest age-adjusted rates of people who reported having a primary care provider among all of the 99 Utah Small Areas.

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services has programs such as Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance (UPP) to pay health care costs for low-income children and adults and those with disabilities.