title: Analysis of the impact of the Birmingham OwnHealth program on secondary care utilization and cost: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to assess the impact of the Birmingham OwnHealth(®) program (a partnership among the National Health Service [NHS] Birmingham East and North, formerly Birmingham East and North PCT, as the commissioner, Pfizer Health Solutions [Tadworth, United Kingdom] as the primary contractor, and NHS Direct as a subcontractor) on the number of unscheduled secondary care spells and the cost of care for patients with long-term conditions. This article reports a retrospective cohort study conducted at the NHS Birmingham East and North.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults with at least 1 of 10 defined long-term conditions were eligible for inclusion. Patients in the OwnHealth program were compared with those in a matched comparison group from a population who were eligible but did not enroll in the program. The main outcome measures were the difference in the number of secondary care spells (defined as the experience between hospital admission and discharge) between the OwnHealth group and the comparison group and the difference in the cost of care (calculated from the cost of activities during secondary care spells).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean number of secondary care spells per person per year in the OwnHealth group was 0.61 (standard deviation [SD] 1.35) compared with 0.84 (SD 1.49) in the comparison group (p<0.0005). This constituted a 27% reduction in secondary care spells per person per year. The mean cost of secondary care spells per person per year in the OwnHealth group was $1,305 (SD $3,138) compared with $1,678 (SD $3,485) in the comparison group (p<0.0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This difference in costs constituted a 27% reduction in utilization and 22% reduction in cost of secondary care with the OwnHealth program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Telehealth intervention can reduce the cost of secondary care of some patients with long-term conditions.
authors.affiliation: 1 Pfizer Health Solutions , Tadworth, United Kingdom .
authors.forename: Liv Solvår
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Nymark
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Omid
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Shabestari
authors.forename: Iain
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McNeil
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013222:State Medicine; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
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