Cost analysis of a Patient-Centred Medical Home for community-dwelling older adults with complex needs in Singapore.

Introduction: The Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH) demonstration in Singapore, launched in November 2016, aimed to deliver integrated and patient-centred care for patients with biopsychosocial needs. Implementation was based on principles of comprehensiveness, coordinated care and shared decision-making.

Method: We conducted a prospective single-arm pre-post study design, which aimed to perform cost analysis of PCMH from the perspectives of patients, healthcare providers and society. We assessed short-to-intermediate-term health-related costs by analysing data on resource use and unit costs of resources.

Results: We analysed 165 participants enrolled in PCMH from November 2017 to April 2020, with mean age of 77 years. Compared to the 3-month period before enrolment, mean total direct and indirect participant costs and total health system costs increased, but these were not statistically significant. There was a significant decrease in mean cost for primary care (government primary care and private general practice) in the first 3-month and second 3-month periods after enrolment, accompanied by a significant decrease in service utilisation and mean costs for PCMH services in the second 3-month period post-enrolment. This suggested a shift in resource costs from primary care to community-based care provided by PCMH, which had added benefits of both clinic-based primary care and home-based care management. Findings were consistent with a lower longer-term cost trajectory for PCMH after the initial onboarding period. Indirect caregiving costs remained stable.

Conclusion: The PCMH care model was associated with reduced costs to the health system and patients for usual primary care, and did not significantly change societal costs.