NHO Geneo calls for healthcare reform and outcome-based measurement

At the NHO Geneo annual conference, CEO Karita Bekkemellem called for a fundamental shift in how the Norwegian healthcare system is managed and measured. She argued that the current approach of increasing budgets and hiring more staff has led to a wealth of positions but a lack of innovation.

Bekkemellem urged Health Minister Jan Christian Vestre to move away from measuring success in billions of kroner and instead focus on patient outcomes, such as whether a patient recovers or a student learns. She also addressed the issue of patients being ready for discharge but remaining in hospitals due to a lack of municipal capacity, suggesting that private actors could help if provided with predictable framework conditions.

A report by Kåre Hagen from OsloMet, commissioned by NHO Geneo, titled ‘A Sustainable Welfare Society: Choices and Opportunities’, provides ten proposals to address these healthcare challenges.