PubMed · 12469447
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Debbe J Winkle, Stephanie F Delks. 2002. Developing a central business office.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12469447/
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BACKGROUND: In order to monitor quality and efficiency in the use of health resources for highly specialised medicine, a National Professional Council has since 1990 advised the Norwegian health authorities on the establishing and localisation of such services. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A comprehensive review of both the quality, economy and the geographical distribution of patients in each specialised service has been carried out. RESULTS: 33 defined national programmes were centralised to one hospital only and distributed among seven university hospitals. Eight multiregional programmes were centralised to two hospitals only and included four university hospitals. In 2001, a total of 2711 new patients were treated in these programmes. The system seems to have secured a sufficient patient flow to each programme so as to maintain quality. However, a geographically skewed distribution of patients was noted, particularly in some of the national programmes. INTERPRETATION: In a small country like Norway, with 4.5 million inhabitants, a centralised monitoring of highly specialised medicine seems both rational and successful. By the same logic, however, international cooperation should probably be sought for the smallest patient groups.
BACKGROUND: The highly specialised medical services in Norway consist of 33 monopolies and 8 bipolies, involving both a duty of referral and a duty of admittance for defined patient groups. All the specialised services are located to large hospitals in southern Norway. MATERIAL: In conjunction with a thorough review of the specialised services, the geographical distribution of the 2711 patients treated in 2001 was analysed. RESULTS: The geographical distribution was highly skewed, with a decreasing coverage with increasing distances from the monopoly centres. The ratio between the county with the most and the one with the least use of the services was 2.3. Northern Norway had a significantly lower usage. INTERPRETATION: Monopolies seem to have an inherent tendency to give poor distribution of health care. Medical monopolies seem to have many of the negative effects associated with economic monopolies. A cautious attitude towards new and a rigid control of old monopolies is recommended. Equality of access to services should be maintained as a primary goal in public health care systems.
INTRODUCTION: We evaluated the organisation, management and outcome for patients operated on with gastric resection for cancer in Denmark in the period 1999-2003. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nationwide data based on the National Patient Registry and discharge information from hospital departments in the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2003 were analysed. RESULTS: Thirty-seven departments performed 537 resections, with an average of 20 departments per year performing such operations. Five departments performed 57.2% of the operations, while 20 departments performed 10.2%. The average postoperative stay was 18 days and the hospital mortality rate was 8.2%, equally distributed with 7.8% for Billroth II resections and 8.5% for total gastrectomy. DISCUSSION: The organization of gastric cancer surgery in Denmark in 1999-2003 was not optimal, with about 20 departments performing about 100 gastric resections annually, and with a mortality rate of slightly over 8% and an average hospital stay of 18 days. We propose that in future, gastric resections for cancer should be performed in a maximum of five departments nationwide.