SERVICES SERVICES

CLINIC OUTSOURCING

INTEGRATED SERVICES

Medipass is a leader in the integrated management of high-tech departments within public or private hospitals. There are many reasons to adopt an inte-grated service: the urgent need to launch a new operative unit, or to out-source the management of an entire department/healthcare service, or the provision of technology and human resources necessary to maximise the effi-ciency of an existing department. The field of action depends on the client’s specific needs and may include the planning and implementation of a facility, the provision, troubleshooting and maintenance of equipment, or the provi-sion of clinical and administrative staff.

Payments are generally issued only once the service has been provided.
The many advantages include:

  • swift implementation;
  • limitation of the increase of fixed costs;
  • capacity for adaptation and development;
  • provision of expert staff and/or training of existing staff.

CASE HISTORY

Medipass launched the integrated Tomotherapy service in May 2011 after winning a European tender. As General Manager Dr. Coppini emphasised in his interview to Sole24 Ore, this successful example of public-private partnership marks a breakthrough in the health service of the Lombardy region. The tomotherapy machinery provided with the service is the result of technological innovations in radiotherapy. Created at the University of Wisconsin and subsequently commercialised by the Tomotherapy society, acquired by Accuray in 2011, the equipment allows clinicians to carry out extremely precise helical intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques. For this reason, it is used in complex cases, such as in pleural neoplasms and cervicofacial tumours, and on children. These selected cases represent about 10-15% of the patients treated at the centre headed by Prof. Stefano Magrini. In the initial stages, the service includes the planning and adaptation of the premises, the provision and installation of the equipment, including TPS and CAT-simulator in addition to medical devices. During the development stage, the service includes equipment maintenance and the provision of four different roles (radiotherapists, medical physicists, technicians and administrators), reporting to the department and supporting hospital staff.

The choice to cooperate with an expert in the sector allowed Ospedali Civili to launch the service without the usual high initial investments (of about 8 million euros), and with clear deadlines (within three months from construction site handover). Payments are issued only after the services are provided, a share of the regional tariff will be paid for the entire duration of the contract, in this case 8 years. Deadlines are guaranteed by the imposition of penalties and by the outsourcer’s ability to promptly monitor planning, construction and launch, while the healthcare provider can focus on the supervision and implementation of other projects. As far as performance is concerned, Medipass guarantees the Hospital a boosted service offer thanks to the flexible provision of staff, which is key for the swift launch of the service and the subsequent redefinition of workloads of the entire department, with a goal of constant improvement of the medical services provided. At the moment over 5,200 tomotherapy sessions are provided in one year.

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