Fragmented Care
No other form of healthcare is as complex as oncology. For this reason, it is often an area open to huge improvements. But how? One effective way is to establish a so-called results-accountable unit (RAU) to really organize oncological care from a patient-led perspective. Together with healthcare professionals and the joint board of directors of two hospitals, Vintura developed and implemented a plan for such a RAU unit.
External Interests in scope
Concentrating oncological care at an RAU means changing established ways of working. And with them the financial positions of other existing units. As we disentangled oncology from the rest of the hospitals’ clinical services, then, we never lost sight of the interests of other professionals involved. The key question always is: can we still guarantee the quality of non-oncological care? To make sure the answer was yes, we charted all clinical activities to determine which qualified for transfer to the RAU. Together with the hospital, we then found solutions to achieve that. Solutions supported by relevant specialists, whether in oncology or other disciplines.
High Profile
With conflicting internal interests at stake, the decision to create a separate RAU for oncology was by no means a fait accompli. But it has turned out to be the right one: oncological care is now better organized, and it features prominently in the hospital’s profile. A result achieved by searching out opportunities capable of attracting broad support within the organization, with the backing of an energetic board.
