Primary Care Innovation Plan: Implementation
- Country:
- Spanien
- Partner Institute:
- University of Barcelona
- Survey no:
- (16)2010
- Author(s):
- Joan Gené Badia
- Health Policy Issues:
- Public Health, Organisation/Integration des Systems, Finanzierung, Qualitätsverbesserung, Patientenbelange
- Reform formerly reported in:
Primary Care Innovation Plan of Catalonia
Current Process Stages
| Idee | Pilotprojekt | Strategiepapier | Gesetzgebung | Umsetzung | Evaluation | Veränderung/Richtungswechsel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implemented in this survey? |  |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Featured in half-yearly report:
Health Policy Developments 12
Abstract
13 out of the 60 sub-projects identified in the Primary Care Innovation Plan for Catalonia were priorized for implementation in so-called pilot territories. Main issues are the decentralisation of managerial responsibilities to primary care teams, competence improvement for nurses and clerks, integrated care for complex chronic patients and community health.
Neue Entwicklungen
Initial documents presented the Primary Care Innovation Plan as a global reform of the whole health system (see also report "Primary Care Innovation Plan of Catalonia"). Innovation was aimed to better orient health services to community and personal health needs. For this to be achieved a higher integration of different levels of care was desired together with an integration of public health, community programmes and primary care services. The Innovation Plan also aimed to increase patient choice and professional leadership and accountability in service management.
In the implementation phase, the comprehensive approach was abandoned because the project faced the opposition of healthcare provider enterprises and lacked real support from the responsible of the Department of Health. The absence of real political will is shown in the lack of a specific budget for the implementation of the project, despite the high increase in healthcare expenditure in the region: The Catalan Department of Health doubled its annual budget from 2003 to 2009.
Only 13 out of the 60 innovative ideas identified in the initial plan are selected for implementation in pilot territories called "advanced zones". Innovations are focussed on decentralising managerial responsibilities to the primary care team professionals, on enlarging professional competences of nurses and administrative staff, on improving coordination between public health services and primary care teams and on improving the quality and the integration of services delivered to complex chronic patients.
Suchhilfe
Characteristics of this policy
| Innovationsgrad | traditionell |
|
innovativ |
| Kontroversität | unumstritten |
|
kontrovers |
| Strukturelle Wirkung | marginal |
|
fundamental |
| Medienpräsenz | sehr gering |
|
sehr hoch |
| Übertragbarkeit | sehr systemabhängig |
|
systemneutral |
 current  previous
|
|||
The Primary Care Innovation plan for Catalonia was initially thought as a strategy to modernise the whole Catalan Health System. Unfortunately the Department of Health was unable to overcome the resistance of the powerfull private and public hospital providers. The plan is nevertheless being implemented, but at the cost of being much less innovative. Currently it has been reduced to some innovation projects that anyway would have spontaneously appeared in the health system because they respond to population health needs or to the demands of the professionals. Innovative ideas such as the publication of regional evidence-based guidelines or increased choice and voice for patients were being dropped from the plan.
The economic crisis and the foreseen change in the regional governement next November might be an opportunity to finally push forward the keay ideas of the original Primary Care Innovation Plan for Catalonia.
Purpose and process analysis
Current Process Stages
| Idee | Pilotprojekt | Strategiepapier | Gesetzgebung | Umsetzung | Evaluation | Veränderung/Richtungswechsel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implemented in this survey? | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Initiators of idea/main actors
- Regierung: Government is officially supporting the project in the discourse, although it is not its priority. Funds initially allocated to project implementation were removed because of the financial crisis.
- Leistungserbringer: Providers that receive most of their income from the hospital sector fear a reform that might tip the balance of power and of budget from hospital to primary care.
- Kostenträger: In the official discourse Catsalut also supports the project, although it is not a priority for the organisation.
- Patienten, Verbraucher: Although the innovation plan aimed for a higher patient involvement in the decision making process, the truth is that patients have already been absent in both the design process and in the implementation phase.
- Wissenschaft: Some professional organisations such as FOCAP (Forum Català d'Atenció Primària) with a little support in the sector support the Innovation Plan, so do the scientific societies; the professional colleges and the trade unions do not have an opinion.
Stakeholder positions
Despite the lack of specific financing and the opposition from most of the stakeholders, the regional Department of Health and the Health Service Commissioner (Catsalut) wanted to continue with the Primary Care Innovation Plan in order to avoid being seen as losers in the public opinion. Catsalut is interested in the plan because it provides a new and fresh discourse about the new roles and activities to be carried out by hospitals and primary care providers. The plan provides the topics to be discussed by commissioners and providers in the commission of providers in the local territories. Such a commission was recently launched in every local territory, although it lacked a specific purpose or a clear content until now.
Initial leaders of the Innovation Plan, well known in the region for their strong positions in favour of primary care, were removed and replaced by others with more professional profile and more loyality to the Regional Department of Health. The new directorate conducted a priorisation process for selecting those innovative ideas that more likely could be implemented. Topics better accepted by hospital providers and by primary care teams were selected. Some innovative projects carried out by primary care teams, such as the process of decentralisation of managerial responsibilities to the 90 public primary care teams of the Catalonian Health Institute, became part of the innovation plan (usually the Catalonian Health Institute runs decisions centrally).
In this implementation phase the Innovation Plan is more collaborative and more bottom-up orientated. Nevertheless the Plan continues ignoring the voice of patients and the opnion of patient organisations. Chronic patient care was also priorised because the improvement of this service was accepted and demanded by both primary care teams and hospital care providers.
Actors and positions
Description of actors and their positions
| Regierung | |||
| Regional Department of Health | sehr unterstützend |  | stark dagegen |
| Leistungserbringer | |||
| Employer Organisations | sehr unterstützend |  | stark dagegen |
| Kostenträger | |||
| Catsalut (Catalan Health Service) | sehr unterstützend | | stark dagegen |
| Patienten, Verbraucher | |||
| Consumer Organisations | sehr unterstützend | | stark dagegen |
| Wissenschaft | |||
| FOCAP (Forum Primary Care) | sehr unterstützend | | stark dagegen |
| AIFIC (Primary Care Nurses Society) | sehr unterstützend | | stark dagegen |
| CAMFIC (Catalan Society of family Doctors) | sehr unterstützend | | stark dagegen |
| ProfessionalColleges (Doctors and Nurses) | sehr unterstützend |  | stark dagegen |
| Trade Unions | sehr unterstützend | | stark dagegen |
| current previous | |||
Influences in policy making and legislation
No legislative change has been undertaken so far, even though many people understand the necessity to recognise by law the enlargement of the professional competences of nurses. The lack of legislative changes prevents the implementation of some advanced nursing procedures such as for instance the possibility to prescribe.
Legislative outcome
n/a
Actors and influence
Description of actors and their influence
| Regierung | |||
| Regional Department of Health | sehr groß | | kein |
| Leistungserbringer | |||
| Employer Organisations | sehr groß | | kein |
| Kostenträger | |||
| Catsalut (Catalan Health Service) | sehr groß | | kein |
| Patienten, Verbraucher | |||
| Consumer Organisations | sehr groß | | kein |
| Wissenschaft | |||
| FOCAP (Forum Primary Care) | sehr groß | | kein |
| AIFIC (Primary Care Nurses Society) | sehr groß | | kein |
| CAMFIC (Catalan Society of family Doctors) | sehr groß | | kein |
| ProfessionalColleges (Doctors and Nurses) | sehr groß | | kein |
| Trade Unions | sehr groß | | kein |
| current previous | |||
Positions and Influences at a glance
Adoption and implementation
In the advances territories, innovations have been implemented in three main areas:
1. Decentralisation of managerial responsibility/expansion of competences. Increase the managerial responsibilities of primary care team professionals. The project born inside the largest public provider (Catalan Health Institute) currently involves 90 primary care teams. This project also promotes changes inside the teams oriented to increase productivity and efficiency. Nurses are enlarging their professional competences in the management of acute diseases as well as in the care of chronic patients. Administrative staff also increases their competence and relieve doctors from some bureaucratic tasks that previously burdened the consultation.
2. Management of complex chronic patient. In a proactive process primary care teams and hospitals identify chronic patients at high risk of being admitted to hospital. A specific and personalised intervention program is organised for them with the aim to prevent unnecessary hospitalisations. Such patients receive a more active home care service provided by both the primary care team and social services. Liaison nurses ensure coordination with hospital and community providers. Key aspects of this sub-project are the co-leadership of local projects between primary care and hospitals, integration of information systems between primary care and hospitals, and common (hospital and primary care) indicators for evaluation and financing. Providers in the territory sign the "Accessibility Agreement". The document shows how the providers are going to organise themselves for better meeting the goals established by the commissioner (Catsalut).
3. Community orientation. Some primary care teams are encouraged to rapidly and easily assess the needs of the community they serve and to conduct a community intervention in coordination with the public health services.
Monitoring and evaluation
The implementation of the project started February 2010 and evaluations are scheduled for next year.
Expected outcome
Current reforms already undertaken may have a limited impact on professional and patient satisfaction and may reduce some unnecessary hospitalisations of complex chronic patients.
Impact of this policy
| Qualität | kaum Einfluss |
|
starker Einfluss |
| Gerechtigkeit | System weniger gerecht |
|
System gerechter |
| Kosteneffizienz | sehr gering |
|
sehr hoch |
|
current previous
|
|||
Expectations about the impact of the reform on quality, equity and cost efficiency are reduced because of the changes introduced in the plan in the current implementation process.
References
Sources of Information
Interviews with current leaders of the plan: Lourdes Camp, Carmen Cabezas, Joan Carles Contel.
Catsalut. Pla d'innovació d'atenció primària i salut comunitària (PIAPSC). Accessible at www.gencat.net/catsalut/cat/prov_piapisc.htm
Reform formerly reported in
| Primary Care Innovation Plan of Catalonia Process Stages: Strategiepapier, Idee |
Author/s and/or contributors to this survey
Joan Gené Badia
Health Policy Monitor representative in SPAIN