[Integral health provision by two Catalonian health providing entities (Spain)]. / Integración Asistencial de Dos Organizaciones en Cataluña, España.

OBJECTIVE: Health policies aimed at promoting collaboration amongst providers have led to different initiatives, amongst them integrated healthcare delivery systems (IDS); these have been analysed mainly in the USA but hardly so in Colombia or Spain . This article thus analyses the experience of two IDS in Catalonia for identifying elements for improvement. METHODS: This was a case-study carried out via individual semi-structured interviews and analysing documents. Two IDS were selected; a sample of documents and reports providing information on analysis variables were selected for each case. Content was analysed via mixed categories and segmentation by cases and topics. RESULTS: Both IDS are health-care providing organisations presenting backward vertical integration, having total internal service production and virtual integration of ownership. BSA is funded by providing services whilst SSIBE relies on shareholding via capitation pilot test. Both have closely coordinated multiple managing bodies and have defined overall strategies orientated towards coordination and efficiency; they differ regarding implementation time. BSA has a divisional structure and SSIBE a functional one, organised by transversal areas. Clinical coordination is based on standardising processes and abilities, having few mechanisms for mutual adaptation and disparity in the number of instruments implemented. CONCLUSIONS: Both organisations presented enabling and hindering factors for clinical coordination which would need changes in internal and external components in order to improve overall efficiency and health care continuity.

Integración asistencial de dos organizaciones en Cataluña, España / Integral health provision by two Catalonian health providing entities ( Spain )

Objetivo: El objetivo es analizar la experiencia de dos redes integradas de servicios de salud (RISS ) en Cataluña para identificar elementos de mejora. Métodos: Estudio de casos, mediante análisis de documentos y entrevistas individuales semi-estructuradas. Se seleccionaron dos casos -RISS- y para cada caso, documentos e informantes que proporcionaran información sobre las dimensiones de análisis. Se realizó análisis de contenido con generación mixta de categorías y segmentación por casos y temas. Trabajo de campo en 2004. Resultados: Ambas son organizaciones sanitarias integradas verticalmente hacia atrás, con producción interna total de servicios e integración virtual en la propiedad. Mientras la financiación de BSA es por línea de servicio, SSIBE participa en la prueba piloto de financiación capitativa. Ambas disponen de un gobierno múltiple estrechamente coordinado y han definido estrategias globales orientadas a la coordinación y la eficiencia, con diferencias en cuanto a tiempo de desarrollo. Mientras BSA poseía una estructura divisional, la de SSIBE es funcional por ámbitos transversales. La coordinación asistencial se basa en la normalización de procesos y de habilidades, con escasos mecanismos de adaptación mutua y disparidad en el número de instrumentos implementados. Conclusiones: Ambas organizaciones presentan elementos favorables y desfavorables a la coordinación asistencial, que requerirían cambios en los ámbitos interno y externo, que conduzcan hacia la eficiencia y la continuidad asistencial.

Objective: Health policies aimed at promoting collaboration amongst providers have led to different initiatives, amongst them integrated healthcare delivery systems (IDS); these have been analysed mainly in the USA but hardly so in Colombia or Spain . This article thus analyses the experience of two IDS in Catalonia for identifying elements for improvement. Methods: This was a case-study carried out via individual semi-structured interviews and analysing documents. Two IDS were selected; a sample of documents and reports providing information on analysis variables were selected for each case. Content was analysed via mixed categories and segmentation by cases and topics. Results: Both IDS are health-care providing organisations presenting backward vertical integration, having total internal service production and virtual integration of ownership. BSA is funded by providing services whilst SSIBE relies on shareholding via capitation pilot test. Both have closely coordinated multiple managing bodies and have defined overall strategies orientated towards coordination and efficiency; they differ regarding implementation time. BSA has a divisional structure and SSIBE a functional one, organised by transversal areas. Clinical coordination is based on standardising processes and abilities, having few mechanisms for mutual adaptation and disparity in the number of instruments implemented. Conclusions: Both organisations presented enabling and hindering factors for clinical coordination which would need changes in internal and external components in order to improve overall efficiency and health care continuity.