Porath Avi, Irony Angela, Borobick Avital Segal, Nasser Shuruk, Malachi Ateret, Fund Naama, Kaufman Galit
Maccabi Healthcare Services, 27 Hamered Street, 6812509, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Public Health Department, Faculty of health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel.
Isr J Health Policy Res. 2017 Dec 11;6(1):68. doi: 10.1186/s13584-017-0192-x.
In 2012, Maccabi Healthcare Services founded Maccabi Telecare Center (MTC), a multi-disciplinary healthcare service providing telemedical care to complex chronic patients. The current paper describes the establishment and operation of the MTC center, from the identification of the need for the service, through the design of its solution elements, to outcomes in several areas of care. We analyze the effects of the program on elderly frail patients, a growing population with complex and costly needs.
Observational quasi-experimental analyses using propensity score matching was used to assess the effect of MTC's operation on utilization outcomes including direct costs.
Results for frail elderly patients with complex chronic conditions show significant reductions in hospitalization days and hospitalization costs. MTC interventions also entailed lower overall average monthly costs in frail patients.
We conclude that a proactive telehealth service for complex chronic patients using education, empowerment to self-management, and coordination of care is a cost-effective means of improving quality care and health outcomes in frail elderly patients.
2012年，马卡比医疗服务公司成立了马卡比远程医疗中心（MTC），这是一家为复杂慢性病患者提供远程医疗服务的多学科医疗服务机构。本文描述了MTC中心的建立和运营，从对服务需求的识别，到其解决方案要素的设计，再到几个护理领域的成果。我们分析了该项目对老年体弱患者的影响，这是一个需求复杂且成本高昂的不断增长的群体。
采用倾向得分匹配的观察性准实验分析来评估MTC运营对包括直接成本在内的利用结果的影响。
患有复杂慢性病的体弱老年患者的结果显示，住院天数和住院费用显著减少。MTC干预还使体弱患者的总体平均每月成本降低。
我们得出结论，通过教育、增强自我管理能力和协调护理为复杂慢性病患者提供积极的远程医疗服务，是提高体弱老年患者优质护理和健康结果的一种具有成本效益的手段。
