Impact of Enhanced Primary Care on equitable access to and economic efficiency of allied health services: a qualitative investigation

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry P. Haines ◽  
Michele M. Foster ◽  
Petrea Cornwell ◽  
Jennifer Fleming ◽  
Sean Tweedy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Chronic Disease Management ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Equitable Access ◽  
Health Practitioners

Objective.To evaluate new pathways to access allied health services introduced by the Enhanced Primary Care/Chronic Disease Management (EPC/CDM) initiative that may both increase or decrease equity to and efficiency in access. Design.A qualitative study consisting of semi-structured in-depth interviews with a purposively selected group of allied health practitioners. Participants and setting.Allied health practitioners in private practice in Queensland, Australia, from physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, and exercise physiology backgrounds (n = 15). Main outcome measures.Interviews focused upon several issues including how referrals are made under the EPC/CDM initiative and what happens for patients once their five allotted sessions are expended. Results.The EPC/CDM initiative appeared to address two key barriers of access to allied health services – costs to patient of access and patient awareness of benefits. However, gap payments may still be deterring economically disadvantaged patients from attending. Discussion.The EPC/CDM initiative is increasing access to allied health services for people with chronic diseases. However, it is evident that this initiative may still not be meeting the needs of those most disadvantaged economically, and may lead to duplication of efforts by allied health practitioners when patients move between private and public health care sectors. What is known about the topic?Publicly funded subsidy of allied health services for people with chronic disease is a relatively new policy initiative in Australia. The success of such policy hinges on several factors, notably, its ability to improve equity of access to appropriate health care, generate improved health outcomes, and to do so efficiently. What does this paper add?This paper demonstrates how health professionals and patients are actually using the Enhanced Primary Care/Chronic Disease Management initiative to access allied health services. The strengths and weaknesses of current policy identified will inform future policy development and funding decisions. What are the implications for practitioners?Equitable access to allied health services for people with economic disadvantage is still limited due to gap payments. This initiative has facilitated patient exposure to the benefits of allied health services first hand, prompting some to continue paying for these services privately once the annual number of sessions permitted are exhausted.

scholarly journals Editorial: A Milestone

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Hal Swerissen
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Chronic Disease Management ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Primary Health

This special issue of the Australian Journal of Primary Health on comparative approaches to primary health care is timely. The AJPH has been published for 12 years. Over that time it has developed a unique blend of research, comment and practice articles covering the range of interests embodied in primary health. We have regularly published special issues to highlight important themes. The first of these was in 1999 on health promotion evaluation. Subsequently, we have had issues on primary health care (2000), the future of primary health care (2002), chronic disease management (2003), addressing inequity through primary care (2004), reflections on the Australian primary health care sector (2005), and health care in community settings (2006).

scholarly journals Investing in big ideas: utilisation and cost of Medicare Allied Health services in Australia under the Chronic Disease Management initiative in primary care

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn P. Cant ◽  
Michele M. Foster
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Chronic Disease Management ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Per Capita

Objective. To critically examine utilisation of the 13 allied health services provided through Medicare Chronic Disease Management program and related general practitioner (GP) care planning initiatives. Methods. Statistics generated from national billing data from July 2005 to June 2009 were extracted from Medicare data and compared by profession, State or Territory and population. Results. Most services grew over 4 years although nationally consistent service levels were not found for any allied health provider profession. On referral from GPs, podiatry, physiotherapy and dietetics provided most services (82%) in 2008–09. Professions had unique patterns of referral instanced by age range and sex of clientele. Wide variation was apparent in per capita utilisation of allied health services by State or Territory; some with far less than average national use and others with high use. Annual number of GP Management Plans or Team Care Arrangements was low (mean: ≤22 per GP in 2008–09), indicating low use of care planning. Conclusion. Inequality of accessibility for patients was apparent. Five years into the program, a review of Medicare Allied Health CDM policy is warranted. Implications. Research and evaluation is needed to identify whether the program is meeting the needs of GPs, allied health providers and chronic disease patients. What is known about the topic? Since 2004, Medicare Chronic Disease Management program has offered Australian patients with chronic or complex disease access to 13 allied health professions via private clinics on referral from their general practitioner – with costs subsidised by Medicare. Little is known about the demographics of referred patients or which allied health services are utilised. What does this paper add? We take a multidisciplinary perspective to describe program use and find wide variation by profession nationally. Per capita State and Territory data indicate inequality of accessibility. Podiatry, physiotherapy and dietetics provided 82% of all services in 2008–09. Referrals initiated by GPs via patient care plans are increasing, but at present referrals per each GP are low. What are the implications for practitioners? More needs to be known about the dynamics that affect referral, the local accessibility of allied health providers and issues that affect uptake by patients.

scholarly journals Primary Care Networks and Starfield’s 4Cs: A Case for Enhanced Chronic Disease Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2926
Author(s):  
Chuan De Foo ◽  
Shilpa Surendran ◽  
Geronimo Jimenez ◽  
John Pastor Ansah ◽  
David Bruce Matchar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Chronic Disease Management ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Facilitators And Barriers ◽  
Design Options ◽  
First Contact

The primary care network (PCN) was implemented as a healthcare delivery model which organises private general practitioners (GPs) into groups and furnished with a certain level of resources for chronic disease management. A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted with data from an earlier study exploring facilitators and barriers GPs enrolled in PCN’s face in chronic disease management. The objective of this study is to map features of PCN to Starfield’s “4Cs” framework. The “4Cs” of primary care—comprehensiveness, first contact access, coordination and continuity—offer high-quality design options for chronic disease management. Interview transcripts of GPs (n = 30) from the original study were purposefully selected. Provision of ancillary services, manpower, a chronic disease registry and extended operating hours of GP practices demonstrated PCN’s empowering features that fulfil the “4Cs”. On the contrary, operational challenges such as the lack of an integrated electronic medical record and disproportionate GP payment structures limit PCNs from maximising the “4Cs”. However, the enabling features mentioned above outweighs the shortfalls in all important aspects of delivering optimal chronic disease care. Therefore, even though PCN is in its early stage of development, it has shown to be well poised to steer GPs towards enhanced chronic disease management.

scholarly journals A qualitative study of high-performing primary care practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie L. Albert ◽  
Margaret M. Paul ◽  
Ann M. Nguyen ◽  
Donna R. Shelley ◽  
Carolyn A. Berry
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Preventive Care ◽  
Chronic Disease Management ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
Primary Care Practices

Abstract Background Primary care practices have remained on the frontline of health care service delivery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of our study was to understand the early pandemic experience of primary care practices, how they adapted care processes for chronic disease management and preventive care, and the future potential of these practices’ service delivery adaptations. Methods We interviewed 44 providers and staff at 22 high-performing primary care practices located throughout the United States between March and May 2020. Interviews were transcribed and coded using a modified rapid assessment process due to the time-sensitive nature of the study. Results Practices reported employing a variety of adaptations to care during the COVID-19 pandemic including maintaining safe and socially distanced access through increased use of telehealth visits, using disease registries to identify and proactively outreach to patients, providing remote patient education, and incorporating more home-based monitoring into care. Routine screening and testing slowed considerably, resulting in concerns about delayed detection. Patients with fewer resources, lower health literacy, and older adults were the most difficult to reach and manage during this time. Conclusion Our findings indicate that primary care structures and processes developed for remote chronic disease management and preventive care are evolving rapidly. Emerging adapted care processes, most notably remote provision of care, are promising and may endure beyond the pandemic, but issues of equity must be addressed (e.g., through payment reform) to ensure vulnerable populations receive the same benefit.

scholarly journals Optimising patient active role with a user-centred eHealth platform (CONCERTO+) in chronic diseases management: a study protocol for a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e028554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Pierre Gagnon ◽  
Mame Awa Ndiaye ◽  
Alain Larouche ◽  
Guylaine Chabot ◽  
Christian Chabot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Disease Management ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Chronic Disease Management ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Cluster Randomised ◽  
Randomised Controlled

IntroductionMultimorbidity increases care needs and primary care use among people with chronic diseases. The Concerto Health Program (CHP) has been developed to optimise chronic disease management in primary care services. However, in its current version, the CHP primarily targets clinicians and does not aim to answer directly patients’ and their informal caregivers’ needs for chronic disease management. Various studies have shown that interventions that increase patient activation level are associated with better health outcomes. Furthermore, educational tools must be adapted to patients and caregivers in terms of health literacy and usability. This project aims to develop, implement and evaluate a user-centred, multifunctional and personalised eHealth platform (CONCERTO+) to promote a more active patient role in chronic disease management and decision-making.Methods and analysisThis project uses a collaborative research approach, aiming at the personalisation of CHP through three phases: (1) the development of one module of an eHealth platform based on scientific evidence and user-centred design; (2) a feasibility study of CONCERTO+ through a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial where patients with chronic diseases from a primary healthcare practice will receive CONCERTO+ during 6 months and be compared to patients from a control practice receiving usual care and (3) an analysis of CONCERTO+ potential for scaling up. To do so, we will conduct two focus groups with patients and informal caregivers and individual interviews with health professionals at the two study sites, as well as health care managers, information officers and representatives of the Ministry of Health.Ethics and disseminationThis study received ethical approval from Ethics Committee of Université Laval. The findings will be used to inform the effectiveness of CONCERTO+ to improve management care in chronic diseases. We will disseminate findings through presentations in scientific conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT03628963; Pre-results.

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