Publication date: Dec 16, 2025
Long COVID presents a substantial and evolving challenge to individuals and health systems. Despite growing interest in interdisciplinary care models, empirical evidence on their structure, utilization, and effectiveness remains limited. This study examined the delivery and outcomes of specialized outpatient programs for long COVID in Alberta, Canada, focusing on: (a) patterns of program utilization; (b) patient-reported health outcomes; and (c) impacts on healthcare system utilization and costs. A retrospective observational study was conducted using administrative health records, electronic medical records, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between April 2022 and September 2023. Adults (≥18 years) with persistent symptoms ≥12 weeks post-infection were included. Healthcare utilization and costs were assessed over 180-day pre- and post-enrollment periods. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Of 2,819 referrals, 81% (n = 2,287) were accepted. Most patients were female (68%), aged 48. 2 years on average, and referred by community physicians. Site-level differences were observed in staffing models, care delivery modalities, and wait times. Following enrollment, patients reported small but statistically significant improvements in functional status and quality of life. Symptoms of depression, as measured by the PHQ-9, decreased by an average of 0. 9 points (p
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| April | Cost-effectiveness |
| Canadian | Health services utilization |
| Empirical | Health systems |
| Outpatient | Interdisciplinary care |
| Proms | Long COVID |
| Patient-reported outcomes |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Long COVID |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| disease | MESH | included |
| disease | MESH | Anxiety |