Abstract
This paper studies the dynamic effects of Primary Care Nursing Program (PCNPs) on the use of healthcare services among patients with chronic heart failure. PCNPs are unique out-of-hospital services that aim to support patients and general practitioners (GPs) by increasing patients' engagement and promoting integrated management systems. We exploit variation in treatment timing of the program, staggered adoption, and apply an event study design to unique, quarterly individual-GP linked administrative data. We find that enrolment in PCNP decreases the probability of hospitalisation and emergency hospitalisation for heart attacks, increases the probability of visiting a cardiologist and getting an echocardiogram. No effects of enrolment are observed on the visits to the nephrologist. These results seem to be driven by individuals whose GPs lacked access to a nurse and had no financial incentives for chronic disease management.