General practitioner follow-up after hospitalisation in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia: access and impact on health services.

Objectives General practitioner (GP) follow-up after a hospital admission is an important indicator of integrated care. We examined the characteristics of patients who saw a GP within 2 weeks of hospital discharge in the Central and Eastern Sydney (CES) region, Australia, and the relationship between GP follow-up and subsequent hospitalisation. Methods This data linkage study used a cohort of 10240 people from the 45 and Up Study who resided in CES and experienced an overnight hospitalisation in the 5 years following recruitment (2007-14).

Do general practice management and/or team care arrangements reduce avoidable hospitalisations in Central and Eastern Sydney, Australia?

Background: The number of people living with chronic health conditions is increasing in Australia. The Chronic Disease Management program was introduced to Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) to provide a more structured approach to managing patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs. The program supports General Practitioners (GP)s claiming for up to one general practice management plan (GPMP) and one team care arrangement (TCA) every year and the patient claiming for up to five private allied health visits.