At the 13th Strategic Conference “Value of Innovation”, Minister of Health Dr. Valentina Prevolnik Rupel underscored the commitment to innovations and the necessity of adapting organizational structures to foster innovations. She stressed that the overarching aim for all stakeholders must be to enhance the efficiency and quality of the healthcare system. Healthcare organizations should embrace innovative approaches, such as value-based healthcare (VBHC), to measure and improve outcomes that matter to patients. Data analysis can be leveraged to boost treatment efficiency and elevate the quality of healthcare.

Currently, our healthcare system faces approximately 30% unnecessary expenditures, indicating inefficient resource utilization. This encompasses service duplication, administrative errors, over-treatment, and other redundant procedures. A systematic approach is needed to identify and eliminate these unnecessary expenditures, which will involve better resource management, the adoption of best practices, and the deployment of innovative technologies to optimize processes.

Prevention, early detection, and early treatment of diseases are pivotal for reducing the disease burden and enhancing health outcomes. Greater emphasis should be placed on preventive programs, such as screening initiatives and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Early detection can lead to faster and more effective treatments, resulting in lower costs and improved health outcomes. The Slovenian healthcare system faces a high rate of patient no-shows for specialist appointments—around 20% of patients miss their scheduled appointments. Addressing this issue requires improving the appointment system and encouraging greater patient responsibility. These measures will enhance system efficiency and optimize resource utilization.

Bogi Eliasen, Health Director at the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, presented the Nordic healthcare model at the conference. This model relies on data-driven decision-making and efficient resource management. FarmaForum suggests implementing this model as a pilot project in Slovenia, believing it could bring substantial improvements to our healthcare system. The pilot project could facilitate the adaptation of the model to the Slovenian context and potentially expand it across the entire healthcare system.


 

Strategic guidelines from the Conference:

  • Organizational structures must be adjusted to support innovation and establish high-quality standards. 
  • Innovation requires clear progress indicators and identifying inefficient resource use, which we address by implementing best practices and technologies within the system.
  • Maintaining and gradually increasing investment in innovation is crucial to prevent the decline in access to advanced treatments and therapies.
  • Investing in innovative therapies necessitates simultaneous innovation within the healthcare system.
  • We must increase investments in preventive programs, early disease detection, and early treatment to improve health outcomes.
  • Reducing waiting times and the number of missed appointments can be achieved by improving the appointment system and promoting patient responsibility.
  • The implementation of VBHC for measuring patient-relevant outcomes could improve treatment efficiency based on appropriate data collection and database utilization.
  • The use of advanced digital technologies is essential for optimizing resource management and improving healthcare delivery.
  • Strengthening partnerships among stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem—healthcare institutions, technology companies, research institutions, and patients—is crucial for effectively addressing challenges and raising the standard of healthcare services.
  • Introducing the Nordic healthcare model as a pilot project in Slovenia could improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery.