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Award Winning Project MEGA
Revolutionising CMV Infection Care in Heart and Lung Transplants
MEGA is the first Value-Based Healthcare initiative improving heart and lung transplants care focusing on cytomegalovirus infection management.
The initiative was led by the Heart Failure and Transplant Unit of Saint Orsola Polyclinic Academic Hospital and Research Institute, Your Business Partner–an innovation consulting firm specialised in VBH, and the Italian National Heart Transplant Association. It was unconditionally sponsored by Takeda.
At Policlinico di Sant’Orsola with Professor Luciano Potena and the Heart Transplant Team.
OBJECTIVE
MEGA aims to improve:
1 Clinical outcomes
2 Quality of Life of transplant recipients and their caregivers
3 Organisational efficiency of the patient care pathway
The Challenge
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1 in 3 patients who have received an organ transplant develops a CMV infection, leading to increased hospital readmissions, negatively impacting the quality of life for both transplant patients and their caregivers, as well as increasing the economic burden on public healthcare systems.
CMV disease significantly increases morbidity and mortality in transplant patients and may also contribute to transplant failure and elevate the risk of other infections.
Infection with CMV is very common worldwide.
After primary infection, CMV remains latent in the human body for life.
People who have organ transplants are more likely to get an active infection, and it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality.
PARTICIPATING CENTERS
MEGA was conducted at Sant’Orsola Polyclinic Hospital and Research Institute in Bologna, Italy.the The initiative has attracted interest from other leading transplant centers in Italy.
Bari Policlinico (Puglia Region)
Currently in the process of scaling up the MEGA Model within the kidney transplant pathway, contributing to the broader adoption of value-based care. Over 2,200 kidney transplants were performed nationally in 2023.
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METHODOLOGY
The initiative was structured into three consecutive phases designed to understand stakeholder needs, foster collaboration, and generate measurable value.
It began with in-depth conversations with patients to uncover their fears, lived experiences, and unmet needs, followed by workshops and dialogue with clinicians to align around human-centred and value-based care principles. Finally, co-creation sessions with the multidisciplinary team led to the redesign of care pathways and the development of innovative solutions, with a focus on measuring both costs and value generated.
RESULTS
The initiative led to the co-design of improved care pathways, increased alignment among clinical teams, and the identification of patient-prioritized needs, laying the foundation for value-based decision-making and future scale-up.
The project was unconditionally sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and coordinated by Your Business Partner.
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