Seeing Your GP Sooner Will Save Health Dollars

September 13, 2006 23:09

A comprehensive study has confirmed massive savings in health care expenditure could be achieved if everybody made more effective use of their primary health care providers.

The research found that one third of Christchurch hospital patients in 2003 could have stayed home and saved the hospital system $96 million if their illnesses had been diagnosed and treated sooner.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson has welcomed the results of the research into avoidable hospitalisations as a timely endorsement of the government's Primary Health Care Strategy.

Co-authored by Christchurch School of Medicine lecturer on Public Health and General Practice, Ian Sheerin and recently published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, the study suggests that as much as 10 per cent of the government's health budget is spent on hospitalisations that could be avoided through earlier treatment and more focus on prevention.

"The study is a further reminder of why the Government continues to invest heavily in Primary Health Care," Pete Hodgson said. "We're confident that if we can make it easier and more affordable to access primary care, we can significantly reduce the pressure on our public hospital system and significantly improve the health of our families."

Less money spent on avoidable hospitalisations will mean more can be invested in preventative health measures and in improving access to secondary treatments for the people who need it. As part of the study all hospitalisations in Christchurch Hospital from 2000 to 2004 were analysed. Potentially "avoidable admissions" were categorised and the costs were estimated for the financial year ending 30 June 2003.

The leading causes of potentially "avoidable hospitalisations" in Christchurch Hospital were found to be cardiovascular disease, strokes, and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary disorders. The estimated cost of those avoidable hospitalisations in 2003 was $96.6 Million for an estimated 94,462 bed days.

Noting that the New Zealand health system must make decisions about how best to spend limited budgets to cater for to ever-increasing demands, the study authors suggest the concept of "avoidable hospitalisations" offers a way of identifying other options for using health resources on initiatives where better heath gains may be achieved and even maximised. They found that the majority of potentially "avoidable hospitalisations" involve conditions that could have been identified and treated earlier by either public health or primary healthcare interventions, thereby preventing deterioration that results in a hospital admission or even death. Examples include lung disease; cervical and breast cancer; traffic accidents; infectious, cardiovascular, and vaccine preventable diseases; early detection and excision of melanoma; and effective glycaemic control in people with diabetes. The majority of these conditions can be better managed or prevented by maintaining regular contact with your general practice team, and following their advice as to medication and or lifestyle changes.

Partnership Health Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Gullery says the hospitalization study reinforces the value of improving access to primary health and taking a broader approach to health by focusing on healthy eating, increasing physical activity and ceasing smoking. By taking advantage of the various services now being provided by your General Practice you can not only avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and save health dollars you can also enjoy a healthier and happier life.