GP fundholding and the costs of prescribing

Authors: Whynes, D.K., Baines, D.L. and Tolley, K.H.

Journal: Journal of Public Health

Volume: 17

Issue: 3

Pages: 323-329

ISSN: 1741-3842

Abstract:

Background: Medicines prescribed by general practitioners constitute a major item of National Health Service expenditure and evidence suggests that prescribing patterns vary considerably between practices. This study attempts to assess the impact of the introduction of fundholding on prescribing costs in one health authority. Method: Both time-series and cross-section data for Lincolnshire are analysed with a view to determining prescribing cost trends over time and identifying differences in characteristics which might explain why fundholding practices differ from non-fundholders in respect of prescribing costs. Results: Since the introduction of fundholding, Lincolnshire fundholders have clearly emerged as the low-cost prescribes. Cost economies are accomplished by prescribing fewer items per patient across the majority of prescribing chapters. Fundholders cannot be distinguished from non-fundholders in terms of environmental characteristics, such as the composition of practice lists, although there exist several significant organizational differences between fundholders and non-fundholders, for example, the use of computers in prescribing. Conclusion: In Lincolnshire, fundholders have been more successful than non-fundholders in meeting prescribing budget targets. © 1995 Oxford University Press.

Source: Scopus