GP claims for completing diabetes 'cycle of care'.
BACKGROUND
There is a wide variability in the level of claims for diabetes. Service Incentive Payments (SIP) by general practitioners.


METHODS
Cross sectional comparison of the ratio of the number of SIP items claimed between August 2002 and July 2003 to the estimated prevalence of diabetes by divisions of general practice (DGP).


METHODS
Seventy-nine of the 101 DGP with diabetes programs in 2002.


RESULTS
The average ratio of diabetes SIP claims to estimated diabetes prevalence (including both diagnosed and undiagnosed cases) for each quarter of the year between August 2002 and July 2003 was 10.1% (standard deviation 3.6). This ratio was higher in DGP with a more disadvantaged population, and more of their GP members in large practices. The provision of IT support in DGP and the proportion of GPs who had patients registered on the division's register were associated with a higher ratio of claims. A multiple regression model with two factors: socioeconomic disadvantage and the proportion of GP members in practices of five or more GPs predicted 41% of the variance.


CONCLUSIONS
Divisions of general practice appear to be supporting practices serving disadvantaged populations to deliver quality care for patients with chronic disease. The association with practice size and DGP activities suggests that practice organisation and systems are important in the provision of good care for patients with chronic disease.
Georgiou
Andrew
A
Centre for Health Informatics, University of New South Wales.
Burns
Joan
J
Harris
Mark
M
D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010816:Physician Incentive Plans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence