[Clinical integration in the chronic patient].
Castilla-La Mancha Health Service is developing the integration of care levels due to the challenge of an aging population in the region. Aging is associated with chronic diseases and an increasing number of concomitant diseases. This poses a major care challenge care, with more fragile patients and new needs. This also requires a sustainable approach: the concurrence of several chronic diseases affects the cost of care, which is especially acute in times of severe economic crisis. One of the pillars of the strategy for dealing with chronic diseases in our region is care integration, in an effort to adapt the organization to the new needs. The Balanced Scorecard or Integrated Scorecard of the integration process was introduced as it has been designed. The integration of primary and hospital care at an organizational level has already been completed, and the development of integrated care processes has also been performed in order to achieve real integration at care level. To help finance this, a prospective capitation system is gradually being implemented, achieving a convergence of per capita costs in the different health areas integrated. Nurses has a key role in this process, their skills as educators and trainers in self-care, in the role of case managers of patients with particularly complex conditions, and the role of professional liaison to improve the transition between care areas and units.
Gerencia del Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha (SESCAM), Toledo, España. Electronic address: direcciongerencia@sescam.jccm.es.
Luis
L
Carretero-Alcántara
Dirección General de Atención Sanitaria y Calidad, Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha (SESCAM), Toledo, España.
Natividad
N
Comes-Górriz
Dirección General de Atención Sanitaria y Calidad, Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha (SESCAM), Toledo, España.
Agustina
A
Borrás-López
Dirección General de Atención Sanitaria y Calidad, Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha (SESCAM), Toledo, España.
Alberto
A
Rodríguez-Balo
Dirección General de Atención Sanitaria y Calidad, Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha (SESCAM), Toledo, España.
Germán
G
Seara-Aguilar
D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; D006801:Humans
Chronic disease; Continuidad de la atención al paciente; Continuity of Patient Care; Enfermedad crónica; Organisation and administration; Organización y administración