Routine care provided by specialists to children and adolescents in the United States (2002-2006)

Table 1 Classification of visit type: Previous knowledge of the health problem.

Major reason for this visit*	Known patient?
	No	Yes
Acute problem	New patient	Known patient, new problem
Pre- or Post-surgery	New patient	Known patient, new problem
Chronic problem, flare-up	New patient	Known patient, known problem (recurrence)
Chronic problem, routine	New patient	Known patient, known problem (routine or preventive)
Preventive care	New patient	Known patient, known problem (routine or preventive)

E.g.: A visit for an acute problem by a known patient would be categorized as Known patient, new problem. These categories were applied to both primary care non primary care visits, but the focus of the subsequent analyses is restricted to non primary care visits only.

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