Commonwealth Fund Study Reinforces Primary Care's Role In Delivering Better Health Services For Less

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 06 Nov 2009 - 1:00 PST

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The NHS Alliance has welcomed the findings of the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published today.

The report highlights the importance of primary care in producing better outcomes for patients at lower costs.

Michael Sobanja, chief executive for the NHS Alliance, said: "The report shows that the British primary care system is amongst the most developed in the world and, whilst there is no room for complacency, there have been remarkable improvements over the last few years. We must now strive to learn from others, whilst keeping the best of what we have in developing a truly primary care-led NHS."

The survey reveals that UK primary care leads the way in terms of access and the use of IT systems to improve health. It also states that "the practices that responded stand out throughout the survey for information capacity, a systemic approach to chronic care, and incentives to support improved performance".

The study has surveyed primary care physicians in eleven countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It focuses on access, chronic care management, health IT, and financial and information incentives.

Source
The NHS Alliance