Are joint health plans effective for coordination of health services? An analysis based on theory and Danish pre-reform results

The Use of Telerehabilitation Technologies for Cardiac Patients to Improve Rehabilitation Activities and Unify Organizations: Qualitative Study

Background

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death globally causing 31% of all deaths worldwide. The Danish health care system is characterized by fragmented delivery of services and rehabilitation activities. The Teledialog Telerehabilitation Program for cardiac patients was developed and tested to rectify fragmentation and improve the quality of care. The Teledialog program was based on the assumption that a common communication platform shared by health care professionals, patients, and relatives could reduce or eliminate the fragmentation in the rehabilitation process and improve cooperation between the health professionals.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the interorganizational cooperation between health care professionals across sectors (hospitals, municipal health care centers) in a cardiac telerehabilitation program.

Methods

Theories of networks between organizations, the sociology of professions, and the “community of practice” approach were used in a case study of a cardiac telerehabilitation program. A triangulation of data collection techniques were used including documents, participant observation (n=76 hours), and qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals (n=37). Data were analyzed using NVivo 11.0.

Results

The case study of cooperation in an interorganizational context of cardiac telerehabilitation program is characterized by the following key themes and patterns: (1) integrated workflows via a shared digital rehabilitation plan that help integrate workflow between health care professions and organizations, (2) joint clinical practice showed as a community of practice in telerehabilitation developed across professions and organizations, and (3) unifying the organizations as cooperation has advanced via a joint telerehabilitation program across municipalities and hospitals.

Conclusions

The Teledialog Telerehabilitation Program was a new innovative cardiac program tested on a large scale across hospitals, health care centers, and municipalities. Assessments showed that the Teledialog program and its associated technologies helped improve interorganizational cooperation and reduce fragmentation. The program helped integrate the organizations and led to the creation of a community of practice. Further research is needed to explore long-term effects of implementation of telerehabilitation technologies and programs.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01752192; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01752192 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6yR3tdEpb)

Centralising acute stroke care and moving care to the community in a Danish health region: Challenges in implementing a stroke care reform

In May 2012, one of Denmark's five health care regions mandated a reform of stroke care. The purpose of the reform was to save costs, while at the same time improving quality of care. It included (1) centralisation of acute stroke treatment at specialised hospitals, (2) a reduced length of hospital stay, and (3) a shift from inpatient rehabilitation programmes to community-based rehabilitation programmes. Patients would benefit from a more integrated care pathway between hospital and municipality, being supported by early discharge teams at hospitals. A formal policy tool, consisting of a health care agreement between the region and municipalities, was used to implement the changes. The implementation was carried out in a top-down manner by a committee, in which the hospital sector--organised by regions--was better represented than the primary care sector-organised by municipalities. The idea of centralisation of acute care was supported by all stakeholders, but municipalities opposed the hospital-based early discharge teams as they perceived this to be interfering with their core tasks. Municipalities would have liked more influence on the design of the reform. Preliminary data suggest good quality of acute care. Cost savings have been achieved in the region by means of closure of beds and a reduction of hospital length of stay. The realisation of the objective of achieving integrated rehabilitation care between hospitals and municipalities has been less successful. It is likely that greater involvement of municipalities in the design phase and better representation of health care professionals in all phases would have led to more successful implementation of the reform.

Health care agreements as a tool for coordinating health and social services

Introduction

In 2007, a substantial reform changed the administrative boundaries of the Danish health care system and introduced health care agreements to be signed between municipal and regional authorities. To assess the health care agreements as a tool for coordinating health and social services, a survey was conducted before (2005–2006) and after the reform (2011).

Theory and methods

The study was designed on the basis of a modified version of Alter and Hage's framework for conceptualising coordination. Both surveys addressed all municipal level units (n = 271/98) and a random sample of general practitioners (n = 700/853).

Results

The health care agreements were considered more useful for coordinating care than the previous health plans. The power relationship between the regional and municipal authorities in drawing up the agreements was described as more equal. Familiarity with the agreements among general practitioners was higher, as was the perceived influence of the health care agreements on their work.

Discussion

Health care agreements with specific content and with regular follow-up and systematic mechanisms for organising feedback between collaborative partners exemplify a useful tool for the coordination of health and social services.

Conclusion

There are substantial improvements with the new health agreements in terms of formalising a better coordination of the health care system.

Patient-experienced effect of an active implementation of a disease management programme for COPD - a randomised trial

BACKGROUND

People living with chronic disease currently account for the majority of the total healthcare costs. The Central Denmark Region implemented a disease management programme (DMP) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2008. This presented an opportunity to examine the effect of an evidence-based, planned and proactive implementation of a DMP compared to the usual implementation strategy.

METHODS

We performed a block- and cluster-randomised controlled trial with two groups and an extra external control group. The primary outcome was patients' assessment of their care after using an active implementation model for a DMP for COPD measured with the Patient-Assessment-of-Chronic-Illness-Care (PACIC) instrument. At baseline, questionnaires were sent to 2,895 patients identified by an algorithm based on health registry data on lung-related contacts to the healthcare system. Patients were asked to confirm or refute their diagnosis of COPD. Of those who responded, 1,445 (72.8%) confirmed their diagnosis. PACIC data were collected at baseline and at a 12-month follow-up for 744 (51.1%) patients.

RESULTS

Comparing the three groups after the implementation of the DMP, we found a statistically significantly higher change in the PACIC score in the intervention group than in the control groups. No statistically significant differences were found between the control and the external control groups in any of the dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS

Reinforcing the role of general practice as coordinator for care-and self-management-support with an active implementation of a DMP for COPD made patients score higher on the PACIC instrument, which indicates a better experience of the received healthcare.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01228708.

Social organization of self-management support of persons with diabetes: a health systems comparison

OBJECTIVE

Identify important organizational elements for providing self-management support (SMS).

DESIGN

Semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted in two healthcare systems.

SETTING

Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the Danish Health Care System.

SUBJECTS

36 managers and healthcare professionals in the two healthcare systems.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Elements important to providing self-management support to persons with diabetes.

RESULTS

Healthcare professionals' provision of SMS was influenced by healthcare system organization and their perceptions of SMS, the capability and responsibility of healthcare systems, and their roles in the healthcare organization. Enabling factors for providing SMS included: strong leadership; aligned incentives; use of an integrated health information technology (HIT) system; multidisciplinary healthcare provider teams; ongoing training for healthcare professionals; outreach; and quality goals. Barriers to providing SMS included lack of collaboration between providers and skeptical attitudes towards prevention and outreach.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Implementation of SMS can be improved by an understanding of the elements that enhance its provision: (1) initiatives seeking to improve collaboration and integration between providers; (2) implementation of an integrated HIT system; and (3) ongoing training of healthcare professionals.

Does a public single payer system deliver integrated care? A national survey study among professional stakeholders in Denmark

BACKGROUND

Integrated health care delivery is a goal of health care systems; to date there has been limited information on the integration of medical care in practice.

PURPOSE

To examine and compare perceptions of clinical integration and to identify associated strategic, cultural, technical and structural factors.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A NATIONAL SURVEY ADDRESSED TO: all county administrative managers (n=15); all hospital managers (n=44); and randomized selected samples of hospital department physician managers (n=200) and general practitioners (n=700) in Denmark.

RESULTS

Several initiatives have been implemented in Denmark to integrate care. Nevertheless, most physicians agree that only half of all patients experience well coordinated pathways. Clinical integration is a strategic priority at the managerial levels, but this is not visible at the functional levels. Financial incentives are not used to encourage coordination. The information communication technology to facilitate clinical integration is perceived to be inadequate.

CONCLUSION

The scope for improvement is high due to the structural composition of the system. Increased managerial stewardship, alignment of the financial incentives, and expanded use of information communication technology to link sub-organisations will be a way to move the system forward to meet its explicit goal of providing an integrated delivery of services.