Capio shows the way
We sometimes accuse private healthcare of failing to have an adult conversation with public payors, instead focusing on maximising short-term profits. So it is interesting to see how at least one operator, pan-European hospital group Capio, is intent on having a real dialogue. Its 2012 annual report makes fascinating reading, and is well worth downloading.
The document is packed with interesting facts for health nerds. It quotes OECD figures showing the private sector’s share of specialised healthcare delivery in Germany rising from 11% to 15% between 2004 and 2008; that share is expected to hit 30% by 2015. In France, the figure should rise from 22% 2004 to 25% in 2015.
The report highlights the massive differences between European healthcare systems generally. The average length of stay in hospitals in Germany, at 7.3 days, is significantly longer than the 4.3-day average in Norway. Only 0.1% of tonsils and 3.6% of cataracts are operated on in an inpatient setting in Germany. In Finland, the figures are 99% and 93% respectively. The amount spent on inpatients out of the total healthcare budget also varies greatly. The Dutch figure of 65% suggests that, despite the reform process, Dutch hospitals are stuck in expensive practices. In Sweden, the figure is just 40%.
But what’s really impressive is the depth of thinking in the report, the focus on how best to run healthcare.
It seems to be paying off: in 2012, Capio re-won the contract to run St Goran, its flagship Stockholm hospital. Infection rates, employee satisfaction, sickness rates and patient satisfaction rates are higher than the public-sector equivalents. St Goran is also the only Swedish hospital to have abolished waiting lists. All this and a lower price: it seems the private sector might be growing up.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to Max Hotopf or call 0207 183 3779.
