Does Integrated Healthcare System Reduce the Cost of Quality of Care for Older People? A scoping review

Abstract

This study provides a summary of published reviews of academic literature on the cost-effectiveness and quality outcomes of integrated healthcare approaches for the older people of Australia. The published English-language literature between January 2001 and July 2017 was retrieved from search results in eight highly resourceful journal databases using the specific terms. The majority studies reported limited information about the cost intervention and quality of outcomes. The benefits of integrated healthcare included patients’ satisfaction, reduction of costs and increasing quality of care. However, the evidence of reduction of cost is varying with the different settings. The home and community-based healthcare for older people have garnered much attention in the past decades in Australia and many researches have been done on it. The majority of the studies focused on defined problems of healthcare service and outcomes, but did not incorporate the priorities of cost-effectiveness or quality of care. Practitioners are interested to understand how the integrated health care approach is achieved and to examine the reduction of cost and quality of outcomes.