Empowering patients to need less care and do better in Highland Hospital, South Sweden

Costs and Savings

The key determinant of the costs of the unit is the size of the ward – the number of beds for in-patients. In the years after 2000, it seemed likely that the increasing number of in-patients would mean that the ward would have to be increased substantially in size. However, this new way of working has made that unnecessary. In fact, the number of hospitalisations of patients with inflammatory bowel disease decreased 48% during the period 1998 – 2005. In consequence, the unit has been able to remain within budget since that time. Not only have we saved the costs of expanding the ward but we have been able to devote far more of our staff time to helping those patients with chronic but non-acute conditions, so that their quality of life is substantially improved and their risk of flare-ups of the condition are reduced.