Browsing by Author "Varela, Teresita"

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    Economic evaluation of a multimorbidity patient centered care model implemented in the Chilean public health system
    (2023) Zamorano Pichard, Paula Francisca; Espinoza Sepúlveda, Manuel Antonio; Varela, Teresita; Abbott, Tomás; Tellez, Alvaro; Armijo Escalona, Nicolás Andrés; Suarez, Francisco
    Multimorbidity and patient-centered care approaches are growing challenges for health systems and patients. The cost of multimorbidity patients and the transition to a new care strategy is still sightly explored. In Chile, more than 70% of the adult population suffer from multimorbidity, opening an opportunity to implement a Multimorbidity patient-centered care model. The objective of this study was to perform an economic evaluation of the model from the public health system perspective. The methodology used a cost-consequence evaluation comparing seven exposed with seven unexposed primary care centers, and their reference hospitals. It followed three steps. First, we performed a Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing with routinely collected data routinely collected. Second, we run a comparative analysis through a propensity score matching and an estimation of the attributable costs to health services utilization at primary, secondary and tertiary care and health outcomes. Third, we estimated implementation and transaction costs. Results showed savings in aggregate costs of the total population (-0.12 (0.03) p?
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    Evaluation of a Transitional Care Strategy Implemented in Adults With High-Risk and Multimorbidity in Chile
    (2023) Varela, Teresita; Zamorano, Paula; Munoz, Paulina; Espinoza, Manuel; Tellez, Alvaro; Irazoqui, Esteban; Suarez, Francisco
    Objectives: Fragmentation of continuity of care impacts the health system's efficiency and increases inequity. It severely affects high-risk patients with multimorbidity, requiring coordinated care to avoid preventable complications. The Centro de Fund, implemented a transitional care strategy for high-risk adults with multimorbidity at 3 hospitals in the southeast of Santiago. The study aimed to evaluate the impact on length of hospital stay, consultations with primary care physicians and contacts after discharge, and also to describe the implementation process of the transition nurse activities.Methods: A cohort study was performed between 2017 and 2019, with 137 hospitalizations from exposed patients and 167 hospitalizations from unexposed patients. The results of the study showed a significant decrease in the length of hospital stays and an increase in consultations with physicians.Results: The results of the implementation process showed that the transition nurse followed-up in a mean of 24 hospitalizations monthly, and 91% of the discharged patients were contacted via the telephone within 7 days. The implementation process showed that the transition nurse's tasks merged with the daily clinical activities in which training on case management, transition care, and continuous support were key aspects of success.Conclusion: We conclude that transitional care intervention has a strong potential in addressing fragmentation of care and is feasible to install and sustain over time in the Chilean context. Finally, this study provides a detailed description of the intervention strategy contributing to its spread and scale-up.
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    Evaluation of patients´ perspective on a multimorbidity patient-centered care model piloted in the chilean public health system
    (2023) Sapag Muñoz de la Peña, Jaime; Martínez Pérez, Mayra Alicia; Zamorano, Paula; Varela, Teresita; Téllez, Álvaro; Irazoqui Soto, Esteban; Muñoz C., Paulina
    Background The progressive multimorbidity explosion has challenged Chile’s health systems and worldwide. The Centro de Innovación en Salud ANCORA UC implemented a new Multimorbidity Patient-Centered Care Model in Chile. Objective Evaluate the perspective of high-risk patients about the core elements of the model. Methodology We conducted a cross sectional telephone-based survey that considered the application of a 13 items questionnaire. Of them, nine were Likert scale questions with scores from 1 to 7, one dichotomic question, and three open-ended questions. 231 high-risk patients who received care through the model at primary care centers participated in the study. Quantitative data were encoded, consolidated, and analyzed with the SPSS software. We performed descriptive and analytic statistics techniques to assess different variables and their potential associations. Thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data. Results The overall score was 5.84 (range: 1 to 7), with a standard deviation of 1.25. Questions with the best scores were those related with personalized care and the primary care teams. The lowest scored was for the item regarding the continuity of care between primary nurses and inpatient care at the hospital. There was a difference in patient outcomes depending on their health center. Regarding sociodemographic characteristics, age did not significantly affect the results. Conclusions The study reveals the perceptions about a complex multimorbidity intervention from the patient’s perspective. It complements the impact on health services utilization evaluation that supports decision-makers currently scaling up a similar strategy in our country and could be considered in other countries dealing with non-communicable diseases.
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    Evaluation of the implementation progress through key performance indicators in a new multimorbidity patient-centered care model in Chile
    (2023) Varela, Teresita; Zamorano Pichard, Paula Francisca; Muñoz, Paulina; Rain, Carolina; Irazoqui, Esteban; Sapag Muñoz de la Peña, Jaime; Tellez, Alvaro
    Abstract Background Complex health interventions involve deep organizational, structural, and cultural changes that challenge health teams and decision-makers. The explosion of chronic diseases has made the multimorbidity approach a global priority. The Centro de Innovación en Salud ANCORA UC implemented a Multimorbidity Patient-Centered Care Model in the Chilean public health system. Objective This study aims to evaluate the progress of the implementation of the Multimorbidity Patient-Centered Care Model in seven primary care centers through key performance indicators. Methods a set of indicators was designed to evaluate change management, operations, installation of new roles, and services and activities of the intervention strategy of the model. Key performance indicators were identified to monitor the implementation progress on minimal components for the model’s sustainability. Each item was assigned against an expected minimum score of 67% of progress from the overall score. They were monitored twice in seven primary health centers in 2019 and 2020, which intervened 22,642 patients with the intervention. Results The results showed that six of the seven primary care centers reached the minimum implementation threshold. The main advances were in operational conditions, and those with minor progress in implementation were the clinical services. Population size, organization, coordination of the health care teams, additional training, and decision-makers support were key factors that determined the degree of progress in a complex intervention. Conclusion It was possible to measure the progression of the implementation of a complex intervention through key performance indicators delivering relevant information for decision-makers that pursue a successful and faithful implementation. This study provides a valuable tool for the national scale-up of a similar model started in Chile by the Ministry of Health and other countries.
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    Impact of a high-risk multimorbidity integrated care implemented at the public health system in Chile
    (2022) Zamorano, Paula; Munoz, Paulina; Espinoza, Manuel; Tellez, Alvaro; Varela, Teresita; Suarez, Francisco; Fernandez, Maria Jose
    During recent years, multimorbidity has taken relevance because of the impact of causes in the system, people, and their families, which has been a priority in the health care plan. Interventions strategies and their implementation are still an emerging topic. In this context, Centro de Innovacion en Salud ANCORA UC, together with Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Sur Oriente, implemented as a pilot study High-Risk Multimorbidity Integrated Care strategy. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of this strategy in terms of health services utilization and mortality. A cohort study was conducted with high-risk patients with multimorbidity, stratified by ACG (R), intervened between April 2017 and December 2019. The studied population was 3,933 patients who belonged to similar size and location primary care centers. The impact analysis was performed used generalized linear models. Results showed that intervened patients had a significantly lower incidence in mortality (OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.40-0.77), hospital admissions, length of stay, and the number of hospital emergency consultancies. With the proper barriers and facilitators of a real context intervention, the implementation process allowed the systematization and consolidation of the intervention provided in this study. The training for new roles and the constant implementation support from the Centro de Innovacion en Salud ANCORA UC team were essential in the progress and success of the intervention. A complete description of the high-risk intervention strategy is provided to contribute to this emerging topic and facilitate its scale-up. We can conclude that this complex intervention was feasible to be implemented in a real context. The Ministry of Health has taken the systematization and consolidation of the conditions for the national scale-up.