The effects of NHS reforms on prescribing. Report of the UK Drug Utilisation Research Group Regional Meeting, Liverpool Medical Institute, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, Friday 17th May 1996
✍ Scribed by Jenny Lunn
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 92 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1053-8569
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
described a study which aimed to compare prescribing by general practices, before and after they became fundholders, with that of non-fundholders.
Prescribing in 100 fundholding practices (20 ®rst wave, 31 second wave, 49 third wave) and 312 nonfundholding practices in the former Mersey Regional Health Authority was studied. PACT (Prescribing Analysis and Cost) data from the Prescription Pricing Authority was examined at monthly intervals for 12 months before and 12 months after practices became fundholding.
Prescribing costs and volumes rose in all groups. Overall costs increased at a lesser rate for fundholders than non-fundholders. Net ingredient cost per item increased in all groups, was higher in fundholders than non-fundholders and increased at a lesser rate in second and third wave fundholders. First-and second-wave fundholders had lower prescribing volumes than non-fundholders and their volumes increased at a lesser rate.
In all groups, including non-fundholders, the rate of generic prescribing increased over time. The rate of generic prescribing increased more in fundholders than non-fundholders. The dierence between third-wave fundholders and nonfundholders decreased by the end of the study i.e. the non-fundholders closed the gap.