Walter Cintra Ferreira Júnior, coordinator of the specialization course in Hospital Administration and Health Systems (CEAHS) at FGV's São Paulo School of Business Administration (EAESP), was one of the participants at the event Folha Forum on Health in a Recession, organized by the Folha de São Paulo daily newspaper. The professor participated in the round table, which discussed new models of assistance and compensation, together with Gonzalo Vecina Neto, professor at the Public Health Faculty of USP and Martha Oliveira, Director of Development at the National Regulatory Agency for Private Health Insurance and Plans (ANS).At the event, which took place on June 14th and 15th, in São Paulo, the EAESP professor said that all health care models should follow the three basic requirements set out by the IHI - Institute for Healthcare Improvement. They are: to improve the conditions and the level of health of the community that is being served; to be sustainable from a financial point of view; to provide safety, reliability, quality and to satisfy the needs of patients.According to the professor, system integration is a key component in achieving these goals. In other words the service cannot be fragmented, with the patient going in search of assistance with multiple entry points into the system, he said.The professor explained that in an integrated model, the patient should have all their referrals, appointments and tests guaranteed at their first appointment.He explained that for this to happen, it is essential that an information system can make the patient's medical record available, allowing the treatment team to understand the case quicker. This helps to avoid tests or procedures from being repeated, due to a lack of knowledge of the patient's history.This integration must respect the characteristics of the healthcare sector, avoiding an increase in costs. The incorporation of technology in the health sector occurs incrementally and they do not substitute one another. The emergence of ultrasound did not replace the x-ray; the CT scan did not replace the ultrasound and so on.Another major factor in the increase in costs is hospital care. The concentration of technology and resources turn a hospital into a high fixed cost installation. Any treatment performed at a hospital will be more expensive and the big problem is that both the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and the supplementary system (the private network) are centralized in hospitals.According to the professor, the compensation model is the third, and probably the most important, impact on health care costs. The country's primary remuneration model, the fee for service, encourages waste. The more health care providers spend on tests, materials, length of stay, the more money they make. The compensation model stimulates an increase on costs.About CEAHSCEAHS is a lato-sensu postgraduate program, recognized as a world-class MBA by AMBA (the Association of MBAs). The course is aimed at professionals interested in expanding their skills and knowledge on management of the health sector. The program is geared towards graduates with at least three years relevant work experience in organizations related to the health care sector, such as service providers (hospitals, clinics, laboratories etc.). It is also targeted to operators of health care plans, wishing to obtain a solid training and update themselves in the latest management methods focused on the challenges of the health care sector. 30 students can be enrolled per class. For more information and registration visit www.fgv.br/ceahs