May 2021 edition : Integrated Care
Over the last six years, the System Integration Monitoring and Evaluation (SIME) and Integrated Care (IC) teams at NSW Health have used data and evidence to understand the impact that models of care implemented under the Integrated Care strategy have had on communities and patients.
Integrated Care, like other NSW Health value based healthcare programs and approaches, aligns measurement, monitoring and evaluation across the four essentials of value:
Partnerships with districts, networks, pillars and healthcare professionals have been critical in the design of our evaluation to learn more about what the outcomes, experience, effectiveness and efficiency data means in local contexts. A collaborative approach has helped us to overcome challenges associated with the diverse nature of the programs we have delivered, and the populations enrolled in care.
The NSW Health SIME and IC teams have developed a sophisticated analytical approach to help assess the impact of IC using a comprehensive linked dataset (the Integrated Care Outcomes Database). This included identifying and creating a comparison cohort which allows us to undertake analysis that measures impact, controlling for other factors at play in the system.
The team also published an IC Monitoring and Evaluation Guide that will provide a roadmap for integrated care measurement and evaluation over the coming years.