The integration of Capio offers a genuine opportunity for the group’s future, and this can been seen from the results of our initial months working together: we reported annual revenue of more than €3.4 billion, up 51.7%, while our net profit increased by 12%. This opens up some great prospects for our shared future. Nearly one year on, the Capio integration is proving to us every day that our teams share the same priority of delivering high-quality, safe care. The integration allows us now to go further, sharing and introducing best practices from the two groups, which have been shaped by different histories and employ complementary innovative practices.
Pascal Roché, CEO of Ramsay Santé
To date, nearly 100 best practices have been identified, covering both operational and functional issues (medical excellence, optimisation, digital, human resources, etc.). Some of these practices are already being tested or rolled out in France.
Sharing experience to improve the quality of care
Against a background of emergency departments which are overwhelmed, medical deserts – not only in rural areas, but in cities, too – and community medicine which is failing to attract healthcare professionals, the need to identify complementary solutions to guarantee access to care to as many people as possible has become an urgent one. It is for this reason that Ramsay Générale de Santé is preparing to launch proximity care centres in France, based on the Swedish and Norwegian models of primary care.
At these centres, patients will be treated by an employed, multidisciplinary team, and will be referred to the right professional following an assessment of their symptoms. They will have access to primary care free of charge, and protocols will allocate roles and set out treatment procedures in detail. The centre receives a lump-sum payment, which varies depending on the patient’s age and medical history.
These centres, which are funded on a capitation basis, focus on the relevance rather than the volume of procedures, encourage preventive healthcare and reduce the inappropriate use of hospitals. In addition, they develop a culture based on systematic evaluation and performance (quality in relation to the cost of provision).
François Demesmay, Director for Medical Innovation and the Patient Experience at Ramsay Générale de Santé
This project, which is currently being discussed with the supervisory authorities, could be implemented under Article 51 of the Social Security Financing Act of 2018, which opens up the possibility of experimenting with exemptions to the normal rules. In the Ile de France and Auvergne Rhône Alpes regions, several municipalities (Ris Orangis, Argenteuil, Pierrelatte, etc.) have already confirmed that they are interested in hosting these kinds of centres.
In addition, the group is taking part in a trial launched by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health and Assurance Maladie (the French health insurance fund) in July, which will involve episode-based payment for selected surgical procedures: colectomy for cancer, total hip replacement and total knee replacement. Of the 27 facilities brought on board for this trial at the national level, three became part of the group following the Capio acquisition: La Sauvegarde Clinic in Lyon (69), Domont Clinic in Ezanville (95) and
Claude Bernard Clinic in Ermont (95).
Finally, to further strengthen the structure and safety of patient treatment, Ramsay Générale de Santé is merging its clinical pathways and quality indicators with Capio’s. The quality and safety of care have always been part of the group’s DNA, with dedicated teams providing support on the ground, an internal Qualiscope benchmark, regular audits, ad hoc training programmes and provision of feedback. These are now supplemented by complementary quality indicators for clinical outcomes that have been developed by Capio and more widespread use of structured protocols which have proved effective in expanding enhanced recovery after surgery.
Constantly seeking out innovation with a dedicated new team and an international research policy
Bringing together Capio and Ramsay Générale de Santé has updated the complementary digital tools which aim to make patients’ lives easier. In 2017, Ramsay Générale de Santé launched Ramsay Services, a digital portal intended to streamline administrative procedures for patients and offer a range of services to simplify the process of hospitalisation. Today, 94% of hospitals and clinics in the group’s Medicine-Surgery Obstetrics (MSO) cluster use the portal and 200,000 admissions have been completed online by patients at Ramsay Générale de Santé facilities. Before being acquired by Ramsay Générale de Santé, Capio had already done more work on digitalising the non-hospital care pathway with Capio Go, an application for treating patients remotely (via telephone or chat), with the option of booking an appointment if required. Capio Go has already been used to provide 60,000 consultations. It should also be recalled that the group was a pioneer in developing and implementing software to help prepare and monitor surgery patients.
In light of these synergies, Ramsay Générale de Santé is today strengthening its ability to innovate with the establishment of an Innovation Hub led by Towa Jexmark, the group’s new Director for Innovation. The role of the Innovation Hub will be to encourage innovation through the creation of new patient-focused medical services. Its cross-disciplinary team comprises seven people working at the intersection of medicine and technology, who will be based in Sweden (Malmö) and France (Lyon). Initially, the team will work primarily on the proximity care centre trial, integrating the option of online treatment.
Strengthening our commitment to preventive healthcare through a partnership between the Ramsay Générale de Santé Foundation and the Brest Faculty of Medicine to create a University Diploma in Preventive Healthcare
The Scandinavian proximity care centres have proved to be particularly good at improving preventive healthcare. Drawing inspiration from this, the Ramsay Générale de Santé Foundation has created, in partnership with the Brest Faculty of Medicine, a Level 2 University Diploma in Preventive Healthcare (Preventive Healthcare Manager) aimed at medical and paramedical professionals.
Our
partnership with the Ramsay Générale de Santé Foundation is intended to be a robust collaboration which
will make an active contribution to preventive healthcare at the national level. We are determined that this
training programme will lead to the introduction of roles specifically focused on preventive healthcare
within the framework of dedicated preventive consultations.
Christian Berthou, Director of the Brest Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences