Primary Care Services Improvement Project (PCSIP) protocol: Evaluation of primary care-based initiatives for management of patients with diabetes type 2 in Australia

Background/aim: Structured and multidisciplinary care plans can improve outcomes of care for patients with diabetes at the Primary care level. Within the primary care setting in Australia, a number of financial incentives have been implemented to encourage general practices to take a more multidisciplinary approach and to improve their care of patients with diabetes. This project aims to investigate effectiveness and long-term costs and benefits of different models of care which have been defined based on the uptake of primary care-based incentive programs.

Design/methods: This project is an observational study that will link retrospective data from a range of sources to estimate costs and intermediate outcomes (such as HbA1C) over a 3-year time horizon. The main sources of primary data include medical records of patients held at participating practices and Medicare Australia. The lifetime costs and benefits (represented as quality adjusted life years) associated with different models of care for patients with diabetes will be estimated using an economic decision model. The decision model will be populated using a range of primary and secondary data sources.

Discussion/potential policy relevance: This project will generate the knowledge required to promote investment in and dissemination of the most cost-effective initiatives, and to ensure waste of resources due to implementation of comparatively inefficient interventions is minimised. Given the scarcity of resources, the increasing costs of providing health care and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, such research is essential.