Prior doctor shopping resulting from differential treatment correlates with differences in current patient-provider relationships

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of doctor shopping resulting from differential treatment and to examine associations between this shopping and current primary care relationships. DESIGN AND METHODS: In 2012, we conducted a national internet-based survey of 600 adults receiving primary care in the past year with a BMI≥25kg/m(2). Our independent variable was “switching doctors because I felt treated differently because of my weight.” We used logistic regression models to examine the association of prior doctor shopping with characteristics of current primary care relationships: duration, trust in primary care provider (PCP), and perceived PCP weight-related judgment, adjusted for patient factors. RESULTS: Overall, 13% of adults with overweight/obesity reported previously doctor shopping resulting from differential treatment. Prior shoppers were more likely to report shorter durations of their current relationships [73% versus 52%; p=0.01] or perceive that their current PCP judged them because of their weight [74% versus 11%; p<0.01] than non-shoppers. We found no significant differences in reporting high trust in current PCPs. CONCLUSIONS: A subset of patients with overweight/obesity doctor shop resulting from perceived differential treatment. These prior negative experiences have no association with trust in current relationships, but our results suggest that patients may remain sensitive to provider weight bias.