Australian Primary Care Collaboratives Program (APCCP)
The aims of the Australian Primary Care Collaboratives Program are to improve clinical health outcomes, reduce lifestyle risk factors, maintain health for chronic and complex conditions and improve access to Australian general practice.
The Collaboratives Program comprises a number of key elements:
Program topics: these topics were identified on the basis of their potential for early and concrete results, evidence of best practice, of gaps between current and best practice and examples of how to close the gaps. For each topic, an Expert Reference Panel identified aims, principles and ideas for change, and measures of improvement. The topics for the Collaboratives Program since its inception have been diabetes, coronary heart disease and access to general practice services. Chronic disease prevention and self-management and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were added to the Program in 2009.
Learning workshops:participating general practices attend an orientation day and participate in a series of three learning workshops. The workshops provide participants with the opportunity to consider how to improve care and practice systems, and access to ideas and experiences from fellow practices.
Activity periods with local support: during the periods between and for nine months after the learning workshops, practices test and implement improvements through cycles of small incremental changes. Practices are provided local level support for these activities through participating Divisions of General Practice.
Data reporting and feedback: participating practices submit monthly data to an online data reporting system, and are provided analysis and feedback on the impact of their improvements over time. Practices are expected to provide data for at least the 18 month period of their participation in the program and are able to continue to submit data after their participation.
Spread and sustainability: participating Divisions are encouraged to spread knowledge of the Collaboratives methodology to general practices not otherwise participating in the Program, and to apply their knowledge of the methodology to other topic areas, such as other chronic diseases.
Phase One of the Collaboratives Program was implemented from July 2004 to December 2007 and was managed by Flinders University. The Program funded about 500 practices in 42 Divisions of General Practice to participate in the Program.
Phase Two commenced in January 2008 and is being managed by the Improvement Foundation (Australia). To date, more than 500 practices have participated in Phase 2 Collaboratives waves.
Data on patient outcomes for Phase Two are being collected at present and the most recent results can be found at www.apcc.org.au/about_the_APCC/program_results/
Phase two of the Program has a budget of $25.7 m over four years.
More information on the Australian Primary Care Collaborative Program can be found at: www.apcc.org.au
Program/Initiatives
- Encouraging Better Practice in Aged Care
- General Practice After Hours Program
- 2010-11 GP Super Clinic Commitments
- The Practice Nurse Incentive Program
- Closing the Gap: Tackling Indigenous Chronic Disease Package
Campaigns
All CampaignsPublications
- ANDIAB2 2010: quality assurance of patient practices and diabetes centre care
- Australian Government response to Review of cardiovascular disease programs
- Evaluation of the National External Breast Prostheses Reimbursement Program
- Australian type 2 diabetes risk assessment tool (AUSDRISK)
- Review of cardiovascular disease programs
