In Kronoberg, one of Sweden's most forward-looking projects for developing the healthcare system is currently underway. The project is called "Closer to Kronobergaren 2030" and aims to move healthcare a big step closer to the residents and build a new emergency hospital over the next decade.
- It is time for a change to ensure that we get more care and health for our money!
Kronoberg faces several complex healthcare challenges. One of the biggest is getting the budget right, as the dependency ratio in the region increases while major long-term investments are being made in a new acute hospital. To make the equation work and size the hospital correctly, Kronoberg has decided on a development strategy for the healthcare journey that will take place over the next decade.
- Sirona has been commissioned to help the region lead the strategic project "Closer to Kronobergaren 2030". The aim of the project is to find out how to make a transition to close care and implement a digitalization strategy that promotes it. All this will be done in parallel with the start of the design of the new emergency hospital," says Marit Vaagen, Senior Expert.
What does this mean in more concrete terms?
- This means that we at Sirona are working together with the region to ensure the transition to care that is provided close to the individual. This is very much about creating a clearer focus on primary care and outpatient specialist care where residents are empowered to promote their own health through digital support.
In addition, Sirona will help the region identify and implement a shift in care contacts from hospitals to local care, and complement this with health promotion initiatives. In other words, primary care will form the basis of the system even more clearly than today and will be the gateway to healthcare, while hospital and specialist care will be offered to those with the greatest needs.
Sirona's work is based on a comprehensive analysis of the current state of health care consumption in the region and a forecast of future health care needs.
- We have also identified four focus areas that concretize the work to be carried out until 2030. They are digiphysical care, person-centered care, health promotion and disease prevention, and profiling and consolidation, says Marit Vaagen.
1. Digiphysical care focuses on how care can become more accessible, equal and efficient through digital meetings and tools to complement physical ones.
2. person-centered care enables a partnership between patient and caregiver. It does so by increasing the patient's involvement in care processes, decisions and actions that promote patient empowerment. It also ensures greater collaboration between care providers and contributes to safe care with high continuity.
3. Health promotion and disease prevention contribute to the strengthening of proactive and preventive care throughout the care chain.
4. the profiling and consolidation focus area ensures that the placement of care is done in a resource-efficient and optimal way from both patient and staff perspectives.
- In all these focus areas, Sirona develops concrete initiatives for measurable change with both qualitative and quantitative values identified. This is important to make the work measurable. The result will be close care that is more equitable and better for patients, a healthy allocation of resources and a reduction in the rate of cost growth.
As part of Sirona's baseline analysis, a review of the cost structure was carried out. It showed that 20% of the region's inhabitants account for 80% of the total cost of the health budget, which is a recurring pattern that Sirona has encountered in a large number of regions. Approximately one percent of these individuals have complex and extensive needs. The remaining 19% are largely made up of severely multi-diseased patients with chronic and rare diseases who often have recurrent visits to the health care system.
- At present, this usually means fragmented care for this patient group.
Helping to make care more preventive, proactive and person-centered was one of my driving forces when I founded Sirona," says Marit Vaagen.
- It is demanding to think in new ways and dare to invest relatively more money in primary care and preventive measures and reduce the rate of increase for the large part of the budget that hospital care represents. It is important to emphasize that the budget for all forms of care is increasing, but that Kronoberg's ambition is to accelerate the increase for primary care, for example, and be more restrained with hospital care. This requires courage.
In most regions analyzed by Sirona, hospital care accounts for almost 80 percent of the budget, while less than five percent goes to preventive measures.
- It's time for a change on that front so that we get more care and health for our money," says Marit Vaagen.
A measure that Kronoberg is already seeing good results from. Targeting preventive measures at the most vulnerable patient groups has been shown to have a positive effect on the number of repeat visits.
- It feels very good that we are heading in the right direction! For the patient, it means closer care with strong continuity, and for the Kronoberg region, it means a successful implementation of the strategy "Closer to the Kronobergers 2030", says Martin Myrskog, Regional Director in Kronoberg.
How would you describe your cooperation with Sirona?
- Very good! Sirona has a great understanding of the health care system and has produced a solid factual basis that makes it easier for us to make the right decisions. It is important that this kind of work is based on facts and that it does not become a matter of opinion and taste. Sirona ensures that we keep our eyes on 2030 and that the work moves forward quickly. We are on a very exciting journey," concludes Martin Myrskog.
