Abstract

LAUZAN CARNOTA, Orlando. Healthcare costs. A polemic matter. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2020, vol.46, n.2  Epub June 01, 2020. ISSN 1561-3127.

There are two problems that complicate the management of costs in health organizations. One is the humanist, solidary and ethical character of this activity and to which, consequently, many of the criterions and methods are not applied as they are in industry, trade, and even other services. The other problem is related with the complex intertwining of processes in those organizations, where virtually every patient or specialty have their own follow-up features characterizing them in terms of physical spaces, sequence, type of intervened person, movement, intensity, equipment, instruments, used materials, and characteristics of expected outcome. The first one creates criterions about

“health at any costs,”

“quality health is expensive,”

“the higher percentage from the growth domestic product, the better health will be provided.”

The second creates systems complicated enough to conceal that consumed resources mostly don’t turn into positive effects for people and populations. This is then about isolating both problems and, above all, warning about weaknesses and how to deal with them.

Keywords : costs; management; health system; GDP; skills; technologies; corruption; growth domestic product.