Utilisation of Medicare-funded schemes for people with cardiovascular disease

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Cardiovascular Disease Management
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.
• Effective management of chronic conditions like CVD in primary care is crucial.
• Medicare Benefit Scheme items, such as General Practice Management Plans (GPMPs), aim to support chronic disease care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utilization of Medicare Benefit Scheme items for chronic disease management in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients within general practice.
• To compare the characteristics of CVD patients who received a General Practice Management Plan (GPMP) versus those who did not.

Main Methods:

• Subgroup analysis of baseline data from the Treatment of Cardiovascular Risk using Electronic Decision Support (TORPEDO) cohort.
• Inclusion of 6123 patients with a diagnosis of CVD.
• Extraction of data on demographics, diagnoses, and general practice visit frequency.

Main Results:

• 32% (1955/6123) of CVD patients received a GPMP in the 12 months prior to data extraction.
• Factors associated with higher GPMP utilization included younger age, diabetes diagnosis, BMI > 30 kg/m², prescription of blood pressure-lowering therapy, and >10 GP visits.
• Only 1% of patients received a Mental Health Plan.

Conclusions:

• Current utilization of GPMPs for CVD management in general practice is suboptimal.
• Identifying patient and visit characteristics associated with GPMP uptake can inform targeted interventions.
• Enhancing the utilization of existing schemes could improve systematic follow-up and support for CVD patients.