Do the UK government's new Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) scores adequately measure primary care performance?
The associations between QOF scores and emergency admissions and mortality were small and inconsistent, whilst the impact of socio-economic deprivation on the outcomes was much stronger. These results have implications for the use of target-based remuneration of general practitioners and emphasise the need to tackle inequalities and improve the health of disadvantaged groups and the population as a whole.
The association of GCT and LCT in one patient is quite unusual because both entities are rare. Sharing of common etiologic factors by both entities is a possible explanation.