A report published by the Medical Journal of Australia shows that suffering from vulnerable chronic diseases are benefiting under the use of GP management plans.

 

The study, which forms part of the Serious and Continuing Illness Policy and Practice study, was conducted to find out who is using the management plans that were introduced by the Federal Government in 2000.

 

The GP management plans are designed to better coordinate care for people with chronic or complex illnesses so that patients are treated under a long-term strategy that can be followed by multiple doctors.

 

“What we found was that the most vulnerable people or those who needed them the most were accessing the plans from their GPs, however our research also suggested that not enough people were using them,” Associate Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy at the ANU Laurann Yen said.

 

The report shows that where there is good evidence for the effectiveness of care planning like there is for diabetes, they are more likely to be used with almost 50 per cent of people surveyed with diabetes having a management plan.

 

However, the report also shows that fewer than 25 per cent of those suffering with hear disease had a pan.

 

The study is the first Australian report to link personal health information provided by 102,000 people from the 45andUP survey with Medicare data. Previously there was some speculation that they were not reaching the right people.

 

Over 3 million plans are claimed every year, at a cost of $311 million.

 

For a copy of the paper, visit http://www.mja.com.au/