Regular GP linked to avoiding hospital

New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed the spiralling cost of preventable hospitalisations, which has gone up by almost a third in 10 years.
 
It comes as a study by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) shows how a regular GP can have a statistically significant improvement on patients’ chances of avoiding hospital for acute illness.
 
In data released this week, the AIHW reports there were 788,000 potentially preventable hospitalisations (PPH) in 2023–24, costing an estimated $7.7 billion – up by $1.9 billion (33%) in real terms since 2014–15.
 
It also found that acute conditions accounted for 37.5% of those costs, led by urinary tract infections ($695 million) and cellulitis ($554 million).
 
The UNSW researchers, meanwhile, published an analysis in the primary care research journal The Annals of Family Medicine which shows the ‘key role’ that general practice could have in reducing the number of preventable visits for acute illness.  
 
Noting limited existing information on how continuity of care can impact specific categories of hospitalisation, they linked 11 years of data from the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study to Medicare and hospitalisation records for 54,376 New South Wales participants.
 
Their findings show even slight improvements in continuity of care cut the chances of acute hospitalisation significantly.
 
The study suggests particular benefits for adults aged more than 85, those with multimorbidity (excluding hypertension), and those with no multimorbidity.
 
The authors said their work ‘makes an important contribution by confirming a causal link between continuity of care and acute PPH’, while acknowledging the research was limited to people aged 45 and older.
 
They said policy initiatives should support GPs in providing care, estimating that if continuity of care is improved for all at-risk individuals, around 11,579 cases of acute PPH could be avoided.
 
‘Continuity of care at the primary level plays a key role in reducing acute preventable hospitalisations,’ they wrote.
 
‘Overall, our results indicate that person-centred care models or integrated care models incorporating continuity of care could be effective in reducing preventable hospitalisations.’
 
‘It should be noted that increased continuity of care does not necessarily mean increased financial burden to the government.
 
‘On the contrary, it has been associated with Medicare savings in the United States.’
 
For RACGP President Dr Michael Wright, the study reinforces the value in having a regular GP, both in terms of wellbeing and in reducing costs to the health system.
 
‘This research builds on really strong existing data showing that continuity of care improves health outcomes, whether it be reducing hospitalisation, reducing emergency department use, reducing overall healthcare costs, and improving quality of life,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘It’s great to see that more evidence is still coming, using strong research methods that imply greater causality.
 
‘Having done my PhD looking at this subject, I’m really pleased more research and more evidence continues to emerge highlighting the value of continuity of care.’
 
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AIHW Annals of Family Medicine preventable hospitalisations UNSW