Objective: The family-centered medical home (FCMH) is the recommended healthcare delivery model for children. It is unknown how frequently preterm (PT) children receive care in a FCMH and how this affects health services use.
Study design: We studied 18,397 children aged 0-3 years in the 2010/2011 National Survey of Children's Health. We compared PT (<37 weeks) and full-term (FT) children on rates of FCMH and receiving prescribed health services. Regression models included sex, race, income, insurance status, and having a special health care need (SHCN).
Results: PT children were significantly less likely to have a FCMH (57% vs. 66%) compared to FT peers despite higher rates of SHCN (16% vs. 5%). PT children were less likely to receive prescribed services (aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.34, 0.34); lacking a FCMH explained 69% of this effect.
Conclusions: Ensuring PT children have access to medical homes may decrease unmet service needs post-hospital discharge.