SAN DIEGO — In patients with inflammatory bowel disease, continuity of care was found to be low and was associated with poorer outcomes, including flares, increased immunomodulator or biologic use, hospitalization and surgery, according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week.

“The United States’ health care system is marked by substantial fragmentation, with patients pursuing and receiving care by multiple providers often at different institutions,” Shirley Cohen-Mekelburg, MD, from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said during her presentation. “This fragmentation in care has been tied to duplication in testing, increased utilization and poor chronic disease outcomes. While care coordination interventions exist, they have been less focused on patients with complex conditions that require comanagement with specialists,” including IBD.