Start-up services for primary health care units

The European Commission supports the founders of the primary care units in Austria, contributes to shaping a start-up guide and widely communicates to make the reform a success. This project has the objective to help Austria establishing 75 multi-disciplinary primary health care units.

Context

The project is implementing the legislated reform on “Target-based Health Governance Agreement” in 2017, aiming to improve primary care provision and reduce unnecessary admissions to patients in hospitals. The project was linked to the European Semester’s country-specific recommendation to improve the primary care system in Austria. This project is now also linked to Component 4 of the Austrian RRP, Just Recovery, and in particular, for the reform measure of subcomponent 4.A on Health “Making primary care more attractive”.

Support delivered

The Commission contributed to shaping the start-up guide, which is the technical framework in terms of how to set up primary-care unit in economic, organizational and legal terms. The guide was successfully disseminated online and at many events in Austria, building the technical backbone for establishing founders of primary care units in Austria. In addition, the project provides on-site consulting services for primary health care units in the early stage of establishment (start-up phase) and for the relevant government stakeholders. This helps speeding up the reform implementation efficiently.

Results achieved

The Commission provided start-up services (consultancy) to close to 60 primary health-care units. This is close to the target of 75 units, which the Ministry was hopeful to achieve. Further consultancy services are being provided until May 2022. A start-up guide was completed (Mehr Gesundheit durch eine gestärkte Primärversorgung - Primär-Versorgungs-Einheiten), disseminated online and at many events in Austria, building the technical backbone for establishing units in Austria.

More info about the project: Plattform Primärversorgung