RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Calculate the efficiency of the EmERGE Pathway of Care for medically stable people living with HIV at the Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain. METHODS: 546 study participants were followed between 1st July 2016 and 30th October 2019 across three HIV outpatient clinics, but the virtual clinic was closed during the second year. Unit costs were calculated, linked to mean use outpatient services per patient year, one-year before and after the implementation of EmERGE. Costs were combined with primary and secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Annual costs across HIV-outpatient services increased by 8%: 1073 (95%CI 999-1157) to 1158 (95%CI 1084-1238). Annual cost of ARVs was 7,557; total annual costs increased by 1% from 8430 (95%CI 8356-8514) to 8515 (95%CI 8441-8595). Annual cost for 433 participants managed in face-to-face (F2F) clinics decreased by 5% from 958 (95%CI 905-1018) to 904 (95%CI 863-945); participants transferred from virtual to F2F outpatient clinics (V2F) increased their annual cost by a factor of 2.2, from 115 (95%CI 94-139) to 251 (95%CI 219-290). No substantive changes were observed in primary and secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: EmERGE Pathway is an efficient and acceptable intervention. Increases in costs were caused by internal structural changes. The cost reduction observed in F2F clinics were off-set by the transfer of participants from the virtual to the F2F clinics due to the closure of the virtual clinic during the second year of the Study. Greater efficiencies are likely to be achieved by extending the use of the Pathway to other PLHIV.
Asunto(s)
Instituciones de Atención Ambulatoria , Infecciones por VIH , Atención Ambulatoria , Continuidad de la Atención al Paciente , Infecciones por VIH/terapia , Humanos , EspañaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Calculate the efficiency of the EmERGE Pathway of Care for medically stable people living with HIV at the Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain. METHODS: 546 study participants were followed between 1st July 2016 and 30th October 2019 across three HIV outpatient clinics, but the virtual clinic was closed during the second year. Unit costs were calculated, linked to mean use outpatient services per patient year, one-year before and after the implementation of EmERGE. Costs were combined with primary and secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Annual costs across HIV-outpatient services increased by 8%: 1073 (95%CI 999-1157) to 1158 (95%CI 1084-1238). Annual cost of ARVs was 7,557; total annual costs increased by 1% from 8430 (95%CI 8356-8514) to 8515 (95%CI 8441-8595). Annual cost for 433 participants managed in face-to-face (F2F) clinics decreased by 5% from 958 (95%CI 905-1018) to 904 (95%CI 863-945); participants transferred from virtual to F2F outpatient clinics (V2F) increased their annual cost by a factor of 2.2, from 115 (95%CI 94-139) to 251 (95%CI 219-290). No substantive changes were observed in primary and secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: EmERGE Pathway is an efficient and acceptable intervention. Increases in costs were caused by internal structural changes. The cost reduction observed in F2F clinics were off-set by the transfer of participants from the virtual to the F2F clinics due to the closure of the virtual clinic during the second year of the Study. Greater efficiencies are likely to be achieved by extending the use of the Pathway to other PLHIV.