Abstract
Background: This study compares continuity of care between Germany- a social health insurance country, and Norway- a national health service country with gatekeeping and patient lists for COPD patients before and after initial hospitalization. We also investigate how subsequent readmissions are affected. Methods: Continuity of Care Index (COCI), Usual Provider Index (UPC) and Sequential Continuity Index (SECON) were calculated using insurance claims and national register data (2009-14). These indices were used in negative binomial and logistic regressions to estimate incident rate ratios (IRR) and odds ratios (OR) for comparing readmissions. Results: All continuity indices were significantly lower in Norway. One year readmissions were significantly higher in Germany, whereas 30-day rates were not. All indices measured one year after discharge were negatively associated with one-year readmissions for both countries. Significant associations between indices measured before hospitalization and readmissions were only observed in Norway - all indices for one-year readmissions and SECON for 30-day readmissions. Conclusion: Our findings indicate higher continuity is associated with reductions in readmissions following initial COPD admission. This is observed both before and after hospitalization in a system with gatekeeping and patient lists, yet only after for a system lacking such arrangements. These results emphasize the need for policy strategies to further investigate and promote care continuity in order to reduce hospital readmission burden for COPD patients.
| Dokumententyp: | Zeitschriftenartikel |
|---|---|
| Fakultät: | Betriebswirtschaft |
| Themengebiete: | 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 330 Wirtschaft |
| ISSN: | 0168-8510 |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Dokumenten ID: | 62805 |
| Datum der Veröffentlichung auf Open Access LMU: | 19. Jul. 2019, 12:11 |
| Letzte Änderungen: | 04. Nov. 2020, 13:40 |
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