Strategic Planning in Hungarian Public Health Care System

Hungary has one of the worst healthcare outcomes among the OECD countries, with the lowest life expectancy and a hospitalization rate far above the average. To remedy this situation, the government decided to implement... [ view full abstract ]

Hungary has one of the worst healthcare outcomes among the OECD countries, with the lowest life expectancy and a hospitalization rate far above the average. To remedy this situation, the government decided to implement significant structural reforms in the health care system. As part of this effort, one of the key structural changes was the re-centralization of the locally owned and managed hospitals and outpatient care centers. The central government took over responsibility and ownership of all county managed hospitals. In the meantime, a new steering system evolved by creating a specialized national health management body (AEEK).
This paper presents and analyses the strategic framework implemented by AEEK in light of international experiences. The paper will evaluate the implementation of strategic planning in 22 Hungarian hospitals in terms of:
1. Project design: basics of the project (schedule, participants etc.)
2. Methodological background: design of the strategic tool set, educational materials and templates
3. Implementation process: difficulties and major lessons during execution
4. Results: findings, financial results and feedback from more than 100 participating employees and managers working in the health care system