Overcoming the data drought: exploring general practice in Australia by network analysis of big data

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Network Analysis
• General Practice Australia

Background:

• Understanding the evolving structure of Australian general practice is crucial for healthcare planning.
• Medicare claims data offers a rich resource for analyzing healthcare delivery patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the organization and characteristics of Australian general practice.
• To apply novel network analysis methods to national Medicare claims data.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Medicare claims for general practitioner consultations (1994-2014).
• Application of hierarchical block modelling to identify provider practice communities (PPCs).
• Examination of PPC characteristics, bulk-billing rates, continuity of care, and patient loyalty.

Main Results:

• Provider practice communities (PPCs) increased in size, with a rise in larger PPCs (≥6 providers) and a decline in sole provider PPCs.
• The median annual claims per PPC doubled from 1994 to 2014.
• Continuity of care and patient loyalty remained stable, with 50% of patients seeing the same GP and 78% seeing a GP within the same PPC for most consultations in 2014.

Conclusions:

• Australian general practice has seen an increase in the size of provider practice communities over two decades.
• Despite structural changes, continuity of care and patient loyalty have been maintained.
• Network analysis of routinely collected data provides a valuable tool for ongoing monitoring of general practice characteristics and their impact on patient care.