Relationship between corporate classification of service providers and quality of primary healthcare in Brazil

This study aims to investigate a potential association between different categories of service providers in primary healthcare in Brazil and the quality of care provided, as measured by the Program for Improvement of Access and Quality of Basic Care (PMAQ). The study adopted a quantitative design with a descriptive and inferential approach via logistic regression. A total of 4,469 Brazilian municipalities (counties) were analyzed. The results showed that there was no association between type of service provider (public vs. private) and the score obtained in the certification process (p-value > 0.05). Larger and more socioeconomically dynamic municipalities concentrated the largest proportions of municipalities with primary care services managed by private providers (23.2%). They also received the highest certification scores. Finally, for both categories (public and private), most municipalities obtained intermediate scores (from 50 to 69.99). We thus found that the quality of care in basic healthcare in Brazil, as measured by the PMAQ, is not associated with the type of provider involved in management of the service when the data are analyzed at the municipal level. Private providers and the highest scores in the certification process are concentrated in larger municipalities and those with the best socioeconomic indicators.