Health & Hospital in Italy  Ermeneia / AIOP
	Available free (except for post fees), please contact segreteria.generale@aiop.it - fax 063215703) -

The Report “Health & Hospitals 2009”, now in its 7th edition, continues to monitor the key issue of hospital services for the general public. These services draw more than half of public spending on healthcare and cover a diverse range of facilities throughout Italy (hospital enterprises, directly managed hospitals, teaching hospitals, IRCCS (institutes for research) and accredited private hospitals in their various forms). It is a complex network of institutions treating annually almost 14 million people and providing employment for around 650 thousand professionals.
The objective of the Report is to provide a revolving interpretation of a constantly developing situation, making the analysis and conclusions – resulting from the supply and demand of services – available to operators, decision-makers and the general public.
By means of the now fully consolidated report structure (the illustration of the most important phenomena of the year, the joint survey on the relationship between families and hospital services, the preparation of appropriate statistical indicators) the accent in 2009 was placed, among other things, on the level of "intrinsic inefficiency" within public hospitals, estimated using an appropriate simulation. The model used applied a tariff-based system, analogous to the one for accredited private hospitals, adjusted upwards to include the additional services provided by public hospitals (however separately remunerated). In spite of this a consistent inefficiency ratio arose, inevitably having a negative effect on public hospital spending. And there also arose evidence of inadequacies regarding the transparency and publication of public hospitals balance sheets, in spite of regulations gradually coming into force over the years.
The survey of the behaviour of families measured the increasing tendency of people to choose the most appropriate hospital, less in relation to the type of hospital and more with regard to the quality of services provided and the opportunity for the families to provide the best support for the person admitted. But this year the accent was also placed on another particular issue: the effective centrality of the patient and the lack of service conjunctions that renders the link between hospital services and regional medicine ever more difficult, thereby reducing continuity of care.
Finally the three Indices on the trend of the Italian hospital sector have been updated: the Index on the development of a mixed system for health care facilities, the Index of satisfaction as perceived by the public with regard to hospital services, and the Index on the tendency towards the public’s freedom of choice. To these themes you can also add, as is usual, the annual information on the facilities, personnel and expenses, all of which provide an overall idea of the “machinery” of the nation´s hospital services. 

Ermeneia – Studi & Strategie di Sistema is a specialist company that carries out analytical and consulting activities for trade associations and for both public and private customers, including those operating in the healthcare sector, particularly those who are in the process of reviewing their contribution towards economic and social development.

A.I.O.P. Associazione Italiana Ospedalità Privata (Italian Association of Private Hospitals) is a trade association that represents private healthcare institutions, accredited or otherwise. It is present in all Italian regions, employing 67 thousand workers and providing hospital services to 15% of the total patients.