ICONS: Managing Care and Costs: The Sustained Cost Impact of Reduced Hospitalizations in a Partnership-Measurement Model of Disease Management.

Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes in Nova Scotia (ICONS) was a multidisciplinary-partnership, measurement-driven disease management project designed to improve the care and outcomes of patients with acute and chronic heart diseases in Nova Scotia. Previous analyses demonstrated beneficial clinical and macroeconomic end points at the population and system levels, including heightened awareness of the value of team care, increased use of proven therapies, decreased re-hospitalizations and a positive dollar return on investment for the economies of Nova Scotia and Canada. This article analyzes the additional cost-reduction benefits resulting from the reduced re-hospitalizations that occurred among patient populations with heart attacks and heart failure.