FLASH Annual Consortium Meeting took place in Catania, Italy, on June 6th-7th.

The FLASH Consortium gathered for its Annual Meeting, hosted at the Department of Economics and Business at the University of Catania. The FLASH project undertakes a comprehensive analysis of healthcare financing mechanisms in Europe and, by employing a wide range of methodological approaches, it provides evidence on the ability of existing financing mechanisms and contracts to address challenges of the healthcare system and explore new solutions to achieve more effective, efficient, and equitable healthcare systems.

All 16 partners – including universities, research centers, non-profit organizations, and institutions involved in the organization and provision of healthcare in several European countries – came together to share the results obtained during the first year of the project and discuss innovative approaches and findings in healthcare management and policy.

The agenda for the two-day event included a series of insightful presentations by project partners and discussions covering various aspects of healthcare research and policy.

Day 1 highlights:

  • Financial incentives in primary care: discussions focused on how financial incentives can shape primary care delivery and improve health outcomes. Evidence on a policy implemented in Catalonia was presented and research approaches to be adopted for further research discussed.
  • Hospital resilience post-COVID-19: presentations assessed hospital resilience in the aftermath of COVID-19, with detailed analyses on Italian and Czech hospital data. For the Italian case, preliminary evidence shows a tendency to shift from public to private hospitals.
  • Local health expenditure: preliminary evidence on the correlation between within country variations in health needs and health expenditure was shown and the main challenges in the data collection for this part of the analysis discussed.
  • Digital health evaluation: evaluations centered on the key factors that affect the provision and adoption of digital health services, highlighting recent advancements and challenges.

The afternoon featured a speed meeting session, offering consortium members the opportunity to engage in rapid, focused networking sessions.

Day 2 highlights:

  • Communication and dissemination: presentation on the latest strategies and tools for effective communication and dissemination of research findings within the consortium.
  • Decision models for innovations: discussions on models facilitating early adoption of healthcare innovations and new models for assessing the budget impact of emerging healthcare technologies.
  • Social assistance and long-term care: analysis of how proactive social assistance initiatives by municipalities can reduce the need for long-term care.
  • Cross-border healthcare and patient mobility: examination of the challenges and opportunities for improving patient mobility and access to care, along with a policy analysis on patient mobility within the EU, providing recommendations for enhancing cross-border healthcare collaboration.

The meeting fostered collaboration and the exchange of knowledge among consortium members, enhancing the impact of healthcare research across Europe. By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, the FLASH Annual Meeting demonstrated the consortium’s commitment to advancing healthcare policy and practice through rigorous research and collaborative effort. The insights and strategies discussed during these two days are expected to drive significant improvements in healthcare systems, benefiting patients and healthcare providers across Europe.

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