Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether referral to a primary physician led to an increase in screening for cervical cancer among women enrolled in Delaware Medicaid.
Methods: Medicaid claims data were used to compare annual Papanicolaou (Pap) test rates for women referred to a primary care physician or obstetrician (n = 365) with rates for age-matched comparison women who were not referred (n = 1799).
Results: Thirty-eight percent of referred women and 27% of comparison women underwent Pap tests (adjusted odds ratio = 1.71; 95% confidence interval = 1.33, 2.20).
Conclusions: Referral to a primary physician had a positive impact on cervical cancer screening among the study participants.