Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: The study evaluated how an automated combined medication dispensing and telecommunication service device (MDTS) affected home care, primary care, and specialist healthcare contacts and costs among homecare clients compared with non-user controls.
METHODS: Home-care clients using the MDTS were matched 1: 3 to non-users on baseline demographics, comorbidities, municipality, index year, and prior healthcare use. Healthcare resource utilisation and associated costs of MDTS users and controls were compared before and after MDTS initiation in difference-in-difference analyses.
RESULTS: Following MDTS initiation, contact related cost trajectories diverged between matched users and non-users. According to the difference-in-difference model, non-users experienced rising healthcare costs over time, with total annual costs increasing by 6% from €31,853 to €33,847 per patient year, whereas total annual healthcare costs of MDTS users decreased by 18% compared to non-users, from €32,898 to €28,524 per patient year. The change in costs was mainly driven by the reduction of physical homecare contacts (24% reduction vs non-users) and replacement by remote telecommunication contacts (72% increase vs non-users) in MDTS users. Annual cost savings in MDTS users vs. non-users were €5,323 per patient. Accounting for MDTS costs, its successful implementation saves approximately €3,200 of healthcare resources per patient annually.
CONCLUSIONS: The study showed reduced homecare and total costs in MDTS users versus matched non-users and a favorable net budget impact. These findings support the notion that technology-assisted home medication management, combined with remote telecommunication, can alleviate the burden on healthcare services while supporting people to live at home also in other European countries.