QUALITY AND COSTS OF PRIMARY CARE IN EUROPE

30-31 August 2010Pisa, Italy

Background• Common framework to describe primary

health care models in the EU is not available.

• Not yet developed a trans-national consensus on how to define quality of primary care.

• Cost of primary care are not well identified in national accounting systems.

Objective

• EUPRIMECARE is a project funded by the 7th Framework which aims to describe different primary care models in Europe, assess their quality in different dimensions and determine their costs.

Partners

1. Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII – ES)2. Universität Bielefeld (UNIBI- DE)3. University of Tartu (UTartu – ET)4. National Institute for Stratagic Health Research (ESKI

– HU)5. Institute for Health and Welfare (THL – FI)6. Kaunas Universtity of Medicine (KMU – LT)7. Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi (UB – IT)8. Országos Alapellátási Intezet (OALI – HU)

Overall Structure

Models of Primary Care in Europe

(WP2)

Cost(WP 3 & 4)

Quality(WP 5 & 6)

Establish link between Quality and Cost in Primary Care

(WP7)

Management &Coordination

(WP1)

Dissemination(WP8)

Workpackages

• Overall management of the project, including technical, administrative, financial and organisational issues.

• To provide the means for efficient internal information flow and knowledge management.

• To agree on and execute ethical procedures, publications rules, and rights.

WP1: Management & Coordination

Task leader: ISCIII

Workpackages

• To define and validate models of primary care in Europe• To classify models through 5 dimensions:

– Financing– Regulation– Payment– Organization– Organizational behavior

WP2: Primary care models in

EuropeTask leaders: ISCIII, KMU, THL

Workpackages

• To identify methodology for cost measurement in primary care at macro and micro level

WP3: Methodology for

primary care costs

Task leaders: UNIBI, UB

Workpackages

• To measure costs in primary care services in different EU countries:– At macro level. In relation to: population size, GPD, OECD

costs...– At micro level. Data related to specific services and

providers

WP4: Measurement of

primary care costs

Task leaders: UNIBI, ESKI

Workpackages

• To identify methodology for quality assessment in primary care (quality criteria, indicators...)

• Focus groups:– Patients– Professionals

WP5: Quality assessment

methodology

Task leaders: OALI, UTartu, THL, KMU, ISCIII

Workpackages

• To measure quality of EU primary care services including access, equity, appropriateness and patient satisfaction– Review of medical records– Population survey

WP6: Assessment of quality

Task leaders: UTartu, THL, KMU

Workpackages

• To establish a link between cost & quality in different primary care models

• To identify possible trade-offs between quality dimensions and costs according to desired improvements

WP7: Linking quality and costs

Task leaders: ISCIII

Workpackages

• To analyse potential impact of project results• Ensure effective dissemination to all relevant

stakeholders

WP8: Dissemination

Task leaders: ISCIII, THL, OALI

Implementation Management Organisational Structure of Euprimecare

EU Commission

Steering Committee

Coordinator

WP Leaders Stakeholders /Advisory Board

Potential impact

• Common research framework for Primary Care Organisational Models in Europe

• Methodology for measuring the cost of PC at macro & micro level

• Cost analysis of PHC models in Europe• Tools for quality assessment in EU PC• Review of quality in EU PC models• Recommendations for analysis of PC models in

terms of quality and cost

Thank you so much!