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KEY FINDINGS

This publication presents findings from the second stage of the Coordination of Health Care Study (the Study), which links Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to the 2016 Survey of Health Care. Analysis focusses on use of and experiences with MBS subsidised services and PBS subsidised medicines in 2015-16 by people aged 45 years and over who had at least one general practitioner (GP) visit between November 2014 to November 2015 (the Study cohort).

Use of MBS services

Almost all people (96%) in the Study cohort had at least one GP visit in 2015-16, while:

• 9% had at least one practice nurse visit
• 50% had at least one specialist visit
• 55% used diagnostic imaging services
• 81% used pathology services (pathology collection or tests)
• 19% used other allied health services.

• 6% saw a GP once
• 35% saw a GP 2 to 5 times
• 33% saw a GP 6 to 11 times
• 17% saw a GP 12 to 19 times
• 9% saw a GP 20 or more times.

• people who had more GP visits were more likely to use after hours GP services – 23% of people who had 20 or more GP visits saw a GP after hours compared with 3% of people who had one GP visit

• people who had more GP visits were more likely to have reported experiencing a time when they felt they needed to see a GP but did not go (29% of people who had 20 or more GP visits) compared with people who had fewer GP visits (19% of people who saw a GP once)

• cost was reported as a barrier to visiting a GP for those people who saw a GP less frequently – of people who did not go to a GP when they felt they had needed to, cost of appointment was reported as a reason for not going by 31% of people who had seen a GP once compared with 9% of people who had seen a GP 20 times or more

• more frequent use of GP services was associated with talking about emotional and psychological health – 39% of people who had 20 or more GP visits had spoken to a GP about their emotional and psychological health, compared with 11% for people who had one GP visit

• 49% of people who had 12-19 or 20 or more GP visits indicated their usual place of care was a clinic with GPs and other health professionals, while 59% of people who had one GP visit indicated their usual place of care was a clinic with GPs only.

• seven in ten people (70%) who had 20 or more GP visits reported that their usual GP or others in their usual place of care always seemed aware of their health care history, compared with around six in ten people (59%) who had one GP visit
• 61% of people with 20 or more GP visits reported that they felt completely comfortable talking with their usual GP or others in their usual place of care about personal problems related to their health, compared with 47% of people who had one GP visit.

• 27% saw a specialist once
• 43% saw a specialist 2-4 times
• 30% saw a specialist 5 or more times.

• 10% of people who had 5 or more specialist visits reported their specialist did not have their medical information or test results at least once, compared with 6% for people who had one specialist visit
• 83% of people who had 5 or more specialist visits reported that their usual GP or others in their usual place of care seemed informed about the care they received at their most recent specialist visit, compared with around three quarters of people who had one specialist visit (73%) or 2-4 specialist visits (74%).