Integrated care

Fragmented care across providers and settings can lead to poor health outcomes, unmet needs and unnecessary costs. Integrated Care (IC) is a subgroup of indicators within the HCQO database, and the indicators measure how effectively countries deliver coordinated care for people with chronic conditions. When hospital, primary care and community services are well integrated, health systems can reduce avoidable readmissions and premature mortality, while supporting adherence to treatment. To track this, the HCQO database monitors outcomes for first-time patients with stroke and chronic heart failure one year after discharge, as these patients are particularly sensitive to the quality of care integration.

For further information, please consult:

• The HCQO Definitions document provides indicator definitions and calculation methodologies of HCQO indicators


• The Sources and Methods surveys on Integrated Care (IC) and Hospital Data provide detailed country-specific information


• The OECD’s Health System Performance Assessment (HSPA) Framework outlines how HCQO indicators relate to the OECD’s HSPA domains of Access, Quality and People’s needs and preferences


• The working paper International comparisons of the quality and outcomes of integrated care describes the creation and background of integrated care indicators