title: Prescribing cost savings by GP fundholders: long-term or short-term?
abstract: Fundholding general practices have been observed to be more successful than non-fundholders in controlling the growth of their prescribing costs. Debate persists over the likely duration of this fundholding effect. Regression analysis of changes in prescribing costs for a large sample of practices over 5 years supports the view that prescribing cost economies have been short-rather than long-term, and that practices entering fundholding did not engage in strategic, cost-raising behaviour prior to joining the scheme.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Whynes
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heron
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Avery
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003363:Cost Control; D016527:Drug Costs; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000191:economics*; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms