Projects
Health management – public health
Benchmarking System for Geriatric Medicine
The goal of this project is to establish a system which enables the AG/R wards in Austria to carry out benchmarking in a simple and efficient manner, in order to continually improve the quality of medical care offered in AG/Rs.
Establishing a Review Centre for the Didactic Preparation of Evidence-Based Medical Information
The objective of this project was to develop and implement a centre which compiles didactic reviews (in German) on the efficacy and efficiency of therapeutic interventions for healthcare professionals and makes them available via the Internet.
Best Information through Regional Outcomes (BIRO)
This project, financed by the General Directorate for Health and Consumers of the European Commission, is designed to create an information system which enables the ad hoc evidence and population-based processing of information on diabetes patients in order to provide a broad base for prevention, coordinated care and outcome management. The BIRO project will enable the analysis and modelling of healthcare economics at a regional, national and European level.
Styrian Health Information System (GeISt v2.0)
The main aim of GeISt v2.0 is the provision of user-friendly routine health service data. GeIST v2.0 should provide experts with a suitable instrument for planning and analysis, enabling access to extensive and complex data from the Styrian health system.
Reasons why Young People Quit Using the Insulin Pump
The aim of the project was a structured survey of the reasons why young patients quit pump therapy and why some young patients do not regard the pump as an alternative to the pen and/or what improvements could be made to pumps in order for them to be seen as a viable alternative to MDI. The project was generously sponsored by Roche Diagnostics GmbH.
Hypertension Training Project herz.leben
The herz.leben project is a joint project between the Styrian Government, the Styrian Hospital Financing Fund (SKAFF), the Styrian Health Fund (StGKK), the Styrian Hospital Group (KAGES), the Styrian Medical Association, the Association of Austrian Diabetes Consultants and JOANNEUM RESEARCH. The project aims to increase anti-hypertension treatment actively involving patients in order to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through improved hypertension control and to provide quality assurance in hypertension treatment through documentation and evaluation of the project. The project is now managed as a “Reformpool Project” in the Styrian Health Platform framework.
Hypertension Training Project herz.leben – Implementation Study
A randomised controlled study is carried out to evaluate the herz.leben training programme and the reminder system. 450 patients in 30 centres will be randomised for the study based on the documented data.
Development of a Concept for Disease Management in Austria
The Institute of Medical Technologies and Health Management was commissioned by the Styrian Health Insurance Fund (STGKK) to ascertain the prerequisites and components for disease management in Austria as part of an innovation project launched by the Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions (“Hauptverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger”). The Institute also devised a workable concept for a disease management programme (DMP) for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
A cost analysis of mobile palliative care in Graz
The aim of this project was to identify and estimate cost-shifting effects which were expected to result from the implementation of a mobile palliative care service in the city of Graz. Pathways of care were reconstructed using a detailed retrospective analysis of inpatient and primary care reimbursement data. The economic implications of different pathways of care were then calculated using a group of patients without mobile palliative care matched for various key parameters. The results, in terms of the monetary quantification of the effects, formed the basis of a financial agreement between the main reimbursement authorities prior to the implementation of the service, which has since been secured.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of foot care for patients with diabetes mellitus
The Institute was requested to conduct a prospective model-based cost analysis of structured foot care for diabetic patients at high risk of lesions and to perform a needs analysis for this service for the region of Styria. In conducting this analysis, Markov models were developed and several studies were performed to collect relevant cost data.
Open Benchmarking DMP Germany
The introduction of disease management programmes has resulted in the creation of a comprehensive IT infrastructure in Germany. In many federal states, electronic data are gathered and transferred in standardised SCIPHOX data format published by the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) as an alternative to data collection on paper. The current disease management programmes for diabetes mellitus in Germany do not provide for open benchmarking.
The restructuring of nephrological care in the region of Styria
The aim of this project was to analyse current levels of care for patients with terminal kidney failure and to develop a concept for sustainable improvements of the current service. A further aim was to prepare the service framework for the expected increase in incidence rates in the next years. The measures, which were primarily process-orientated, are already being prepared for implementation in the region.
Quality management and Hepatitis C Register
Together with "aCtion Hepatitis C", the Institute of Medical Technologies and Health Management has developed a web application to electronically document HCV positive persons. The web application is based on the core module of the Healthgate BARS quality management application.
Quality Assurance in Diabetology
The Forum for Quality Assurance in Diabetes Care (FQSD, Forum Qualitätssicherung in der Diabetologie) is an initiative in place in Austria and Germany formed to improve the quality of care for patients with diabetes mellitus and the chronic diseases associated with it.
The initiative was founded in the early 1990s in Germany and in 1996 in Austria. The Forum’s goals are the extension of the networking of intra- and extramural areas using information technology and the transfer of evidence based knowledge to general practitioners. Using the WHO DiabCare Basic Information Sheet (BIS), structured medical parameters for intermediary outcomes (HbA1c, blood pressure etc.) and secondary complications (e.g. infarct, amputation, blindness etc.) are recorded and analysed.
Styrian Regional Structural Plan for Health Care
The Austrian Structural Plan for Health Care 2006 delegated responsibility for service planning on behalf of the population to the individual Austrian provinces. The Institute of Medical Technologies and Health Management was asked to conduct the planning of health services for the region of Styria. For the first time in Austria, this took place on the basis of extensive data analysis and actual health care delivery patterns and included the development of an innovative new method for the planning of services for the outpatient care spectrum.
Patient education project for patients with type 2 diabetes
Autumn 2000 saw the establishment of a region-wide patient education programme for patients with non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes, following collaborative efforts between several institutes. The aim was to reduce the occurrence of complications and to support the self-assured handling of the condition through targeted patient education in the outpatient care sector. The institute designed the project and oversaw documentation and quality management. The data has subsequently been used to conduct various analyses of effects. Similar projects have since been established in other Austrian provinces (Salzburg, Vienna and Carinthia).
Study on the Training and Treatment Programme for Patients with Oral Anticoagulation Aged 60 and Older (SPOG60+)
The SPOG 60 study is aimed at investigating the influence of participation in a structured training and treatment programme for older patients (aged 60 and older) with oral anticoagulation (SPOG) on the following treatment parameters in a multi-centre, prospective, randomised design
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Evidence for Insulin Pump Therapy
The objective of this project was to examine the available scientific literature for existing evidence of the effectiveness of insulin pump therapy for patients with diabetes mellitus, and to analyse whether pump therapy demonstrated advantages in comparison with intensified insulin therapy using subcutaneous injections.
Assistance with projekt proposals to the "Reformpool" (A public body supporting healthcare improvement projects)
The Institute supports numerous applicants, aiming to receive public funding, with their healthcare-related project proposals during both preparation and implementation phases. The main focus lies in providing support for the project proposal in terms of the organisational structuring of the project, the conceptualisation of accompanying documentation and evaluation and the estimation of financial implications to the health care system.
New health care screening programme
In the course of developing the revised preventive medical check-up programme for Austria, the Institute of Medical Technologies and Health Management was responsible for producing structured data collection instruments. Following development, the instruments were subjected to testing and have since been adopted throughout Austria as standardised documentation.
www.healthgate.at
This site offers web applications for the improvement of work processes and quality standards in the health sector.
Health Informatics
Cluster Information System human.technologie.styria
The human.technologie.styria cluster (HTS) has set itself the target of linking up partners in business, science and policy in order to promote cooperation in medical technology.
Data Management Concept for DMP-Ö
This project covered use cases and implementation scenarios for interfaces to external systems for IT support of disease management programmes.
Electronic Patient Records for Diabetes Mellitus
This project focused on developing an electronic patient record for outpatient diabetes clinics to ease the work of medical personnel in the field of diabetes mellitus and to facilitate electronic patient documentation. The concept was developed in close cooperation with end users, taking into account the special requirements for diabetes mellitus.
Development of Information System for DMP Administration in Austria
In March 2006, following a call for tenders, JOANNEUM RESEARCH was commissioned to implement an information system for the administration of Austrian disease management programmes. The project is scheduled for two years.
Extension of DMP Information System to Include Administration of Patient Education
Patient education and empowerment are an integral part of disease management programmes and are a particular focus in DMPs for diabetes mellitus. In this project, the DMP information system was extended to include administration of training programmes and training courses as well as partners and their training courses.
Styrian Health Information System (GeISt v2.0)
The main aim of GeISt v2.0 is the provision of user-friendly routine health service data. GeIST v2.0 should provide experts with a suitable instrument for planning and analysis, enabling access to extensive and complex data from the Styrian health system.
Text Mining and Information Retrieval in Clinical Free Text Documents
"Prototype of a medical information retrieval system for electronic patient records"
Information Management for Medical Quality Circles
Safeguarding and improving quality in medical practice is a fundamental prerequisite for qualified and economically efficient medical care of a high standard which is tailored to suit the patient and their needs. The increasing demands on quality standards for patient treatment have resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of quality circles which have been established throughout Austria over the past few years. This development has pushed up administrative costs and the quantity of information and data processed by each circle – this is where the quality circle information system comes in.
Quality Management Information System Healthgate BARS (Benchmarking and Reporting System)
Healthgate BARS (Benchmarking and Reporting Service) allows physicians to document patients’ data on standardised forms thereby ensuring quality assurance in the management of chronic diseases. These data provide the basis for quality reports and gives users the opportunity to perform their own online analyses and establish improvement potential through open benchmarking