Talavera de la Reina UCAPI Achieves Top Accreditation for Chronic Care
The unit of Continuity of Health Care-Medical care (UCAPI) within the Integrated Area of Talavera de la Reina has been awarded accreditation recognizing its adherence to the highest standards of care quality in the field of complex chronic disease management. This certification from the Internal medicine department underscores the unit’s commitment to patient-centered care.
Launched and developed by the Government of Castilla-La mancha, the UCAPI focuses on providing swift, effective, and early intervention for patients experiencing decompensation due to complex chronic conditions.Dr. Jeffrey Magallanes, head of the UCAPI at Talavera Hospital, emphasized the unit’s target population: “the most vulnerable patients, those wiht multiple chronic diseases, generally elderly and fragile, who require increasing care and make a greater use of health resources.”
The UCAPI aims to prevent unneeded hospital admissions and emergency room visits for these vulnerable individuals by offering continuous healthcare and proactive management. This is achieved thru strengthened collaboration and coordinated care plans developed in conjunction with primary care professionals, including regular sessions and shared patient strategies.
Since its inception, the UCAPI has served over 1,000 patients, establishing itself as a rapid and efficient option to traditional hospital-based interventions.Primary care teams have expressed high levels of satisfaction with the UCAPI’s work, fostering a collaborative environment that extends to training and education.
Dr. Magallanes highlighted the unit’s innovative approach: “It constitutes a new person-centered care model and based on adequate inter-professional coordination that guarantees effective care continuity.” The UCAPI utilizes self-managed schedules and a day hospital resource to provide flexible, individualized care tailored to each patient’s specific needs. A key component is a comprehensive initial assessment that informs treatment and interventions, aiming to reduce emergency visits and hospitalizations in favor of ongoing, longitudinal care led by primary care physicians with UCAPI support.
The UCAPI actively promotes knowledge sharing through multidisciplinary courses and presentations at scientific meetings and congresses, disseminating its model of care. It also serves as a training ground for internal medicine and primary care residents, allowing them to experience the benefits of this integrated approach firsthand.
The Talavera de la Reina UCAPI is staffed by professionals from Primary Care Teams, alongside three doctors from the Internal Medicine Service of the Nuestra Señora del Prado University Hospital, and a dedicated nurse.
As part of the Regional Plan for Chronic Complex Patient care and the broader Health Plan of Castilla-La Mancha ‘Horizon 2025’, the UCAPI represents a multidisciplinary healthcare model designed to rapidly treat patients experiencing acute episodes of chronic illness, providing necessary tests and treatment while avoiding hospital admission in over 90% of cases.
Currently, similar UCAPI units are operational across Castilla-La Mancha in Albacete, Guadalajara, Cuenca, puertollano, Hellín, Ciudad Real, Valdepeñas, Talavera de la Reina, Alcázar de San juan, Manzanares, Almansa, Tomelloso and Toledo, with plans for expansion to Villarrobledo in the near future.
