Subsidies to target specialist outreach services into more remote locations: a national cross-sectional study.

Conclusion This suggests the RHOF, although limited to one in five specialist outreach providers, is important to increase targeted and stable outreach services in areas of highest relative need. Other subsidies also play a role in facilitating remote service distribution, but may need to be more structured to promote regular, sustained outreach practice.What is known about this topic? There are no studies describing subsidies for specialist doctors to undertake rural outreach work and whether subsidies, including formal and structured subsidies via the Australian Government RHOF, support targeted outreach services compared with no financial support.What does this paper add? Using national data from Australia, we describe subsidisation among specialist outreach providers and show that specialists subsidised via the RHOF or another source are more likely to provide remote outreach services.What are the implications for practitioners? Subsidised specialist outreach providers are more likely to provide remote outreach services. The RHOF, as a formally structured comprehensive subsidy, further targets the provision of priority services into such locations on a regular, ongoing basis. PMID: 27372410 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Rural Remote Health - Category: Rural Health Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research