“Health management based on value – Cases and the Portuguese experience” (A gestão de saúde baseada em valor – Casos e experiência portuguesa) is the title of the book recently launched by initiative of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Managers (APAH), gathering the work developed by this established group of specialists coming from different institutions in the country, public and private, and working in projects of Value Based Healthcare. The book was coordinated by Francisco Rocha Gonçalves , director of Health Technology Management at Luz Saúde, and among the authors are other two directors of the group: Cláudia Santos (Central Administration of Pharmacy and Medicines) and Filipe Costa (Administration of Value Management in Healthcare), which integrate that APAH group. The concept of Value Based Healthcare has for main purpose the organization of healthcare, viewing to obtain the best clinical and health results, in the perspective of clients and optimizing resources. The APAH working group was created two years ago, integrating specialists of hospitals and other public entities, of the pharmaceutical industry and health private groups, such as these representatives from Luz Saúde. To report its activity, the working group and a few invited professionals edited this collective work, where they report their experience and vision on value based healthcare management. The public presentation of the book, already on the market, occurred during the APAH Value Conference, that took place last October 19. “This is an innovating initiative, not only for being the first work in Portugal on the subject, but also for being a multidisciplinary exercise, going beyond the professional contexts to build something of higher value for patients”, highlights Francisco Rocha Gonçalves. “The Value Based Healthcare aspires to generate virtuous cycles in healthcare providing, capable of providing a high-quality service, resulting in clear improvements in outcomes for patients, quality of life and contained costs. This dynamic generates economy of resources and also learning opportunities systematically reinvested/applied in new care cycles, thus contributing to sustained value creation”, adds further Francisco Rocha Gonçalves. In Luz Saúde , over 150 professionals – among physicians, nurses, health technicians, engineers, managers and data analysts – work presently in a project of such scope, which is structural to the group. In the photo above , Francisco Rocha Gonçalves, Isabel Vaz (the Luz Saúde CEO), Cláudia Santos and Filipe Costa.
