The research harnesses a unique cross-jurisdictional linkage facility.

It has joined the Commonwealth Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and aged care data to hospital inpatient, death and other records of the WA Data Linkage System on all people aged 65 and over in 1990-2006 (more than 160 million records on 400,000 seniors) to investigate research questions in the following priority areas:

• the effects of intensity and periodicity of general practitioner (GP) visits on ambulatory care sensitive chronic diseases (ACSCDs)
• the effects of Medicare’s Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) on disease outcomes in seniors with ACSCDs
• the effects of continuity of primary medical care on chronic disease outcomes in seniors with ACSCDs
• to demonstrate a model of best practice in community participation in research

The study is unprecedented in its size and rigour as a contribution to this area of health services research. It will provide knowledge to guide the future direction of Australian GP strategies, by giving an evidence-base to determine if concepts such as ‘periodicity’, ‘continuity’ and ‘specialisation’ should be supported by future policy initiatives.

Further, the project will inform government, GP and consumer organisations on what changes are likely to improve the EPC program. The study also has an important ‘trail-blazing’ role, by demonstrating the used of linked cross-jurisdictional health data to address areas of national priority for the Australian health system. The Seniors Consumer Panel is strongly involved in this project.

This project is funded by a four-year National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant.