Toward a sustainable and wise healthcare approach: potential contributions from hospital Internal Medicine Departments to reducing inappropriate medical spending

Abstract

All countries are facing the question of how to maintain quality of care with shrinking health budgets, in the presence of a persistent increase in life expectancy, and with a significant growing demand for health care from aging populations and chronically ill patients. Current implementation of legislative measures is largely presented as a cost-cutting policy. With this political approach, there is a risk of services and the number of hospital beds being drastically reduced, mainly to detriment of the most vulnerable groups of the population and without considering the results obtained by each regional healthcare organization according to explicit evaluation markers. In our Scientific Society of Internal Medicine (the Federation of Associations of Hospital Doctors on Internal Medicine, FADOI), we want to support good medical practice because essential medicine is still a goal to be achieved throughout medical hospital care. We are looking for original ways to implement a sustainable and frugal hospital Internal Medicine policy by searching for wise and efficient clinical methodology to be applied in the care of patients admitted to internal medicine wards according to their real needs. We firmly believe that reinforcing a common agenda between medicine and public health, and sharing a common vision among professionals and decision makers in the planning of care, may be the greatest opportunity for any every health care reform. The future of the health care system cannot be restricted to mere cost reduction, but should aim to deliver better health care in relation to the money spent. Even in this period of austerity, new opportunities can still be found and doctors must lead efforts to meet this challenge.