The institute renewed an agreement with the Municipality of San Paolo for a year, but now offers only five types of treatment; hospital says the complexity of the procedures justifies a reduction in coverage and an increase in value
After a troubled period of negotiations in which he threatened not to renew the agreement with the Municipality of San Paolo, the AC Camargo Hospital he signed a new contract with the municipality on 9 December, valid for one year. It predicts more patients from cancer served by Unified Health System (SUS) at the institution, but fewer specialties covered.
The new contract stipulates that AC Camargo will receive up to BRL 54 million throughout 2023, an amount BRL 19 million higher than last year’s forecast, when the deal was BRL 34 million. There is also a financial complement of more than R $ 1.1 million per year if the institution performs 28 or more oncological surgeries per month.
Of the total 54 million reais that will be allocated to medium and high complexity cancer treatments, almost half will come directly from the coffers of the Municipality, which will allocate 23 million reais through the Municipal Treasury, something not foreseen in the previous contract. The increase in the budget, according to the institution, is justified by the higher number of vacant posts, which went from 96 the previous year to 124 this year.
‘The bill keeps growing,’ says the CEO of ACCamargo
ACCamargo hospital decides to maintain care of SUS patients after negotiation
One of the main “burdens” on hospital bills, according to the institution itself, was cancer patients seeking AC Camargo for non-cancer-related care. “Nearly half of hospitalization costs were due to non-cancer causes,” he explains.
Since the last day 9, these patients are referred to the Emergency Department (UPA) Vergueiro, which is located next to the hospital and has been trained by the staff of the institution to identify conditions that can be considered oncological or not. According to Andrade, there is continuous communication between the two sides and this tactic has brought down the number of calls to AC Camargo from 12 to 4 per day.
Another way the institution found to reduce the financial cost was to reevaluate the entire number of patients and determine those able to receive “oncology discharge”, either because the cancer has been stable for more than ten years or because the person has been there more than five without showing up for an appointment. “Everyone who needs to continue. It’s not an administrative decision, it’s a medical decision,” says Andrade.
Patients who are being treated for any type of cancer not covered by the new contract will continue to be cared for by AC Camargo, according to him. As for those who have been discharged from cancer and are experiencing cancer remission, they will have to re-enter the front of the SUS service queue. “It’s not impossible for me to come back here, it’s enough for the Municipality to direct us.”
See the distribution of vacancies by specialty:
- Neurosurgery: 20 vacancies
- Ophthalmology: 24 vacancies
- Pneumology: 60 vacancies
- Oncohaematology (bone marrow transplant): 16 vacancies
- Liver transplant: 4 places
+The best content in your email for free. Choose your favorite Terra newsletter. Click here!
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
