THE best Italian hospitals I’m the Careggi of FlorencetheHumanitas of Rozzano and theuniversity hospital in the Marche region. The three structures stood out for their best performance in patient care. This is what emerges from the last one relationship fromAgenas (National Agency for Regional Health Services) which reviewed the activities of 1,363 public and private healthcare facilities.
The state of healthcare in Italy
In 2023 they are hospitalizations increased in Italian hospitals: almost 8 millionbetween urgent and scheduled hospitalizations, i.e. 312,000 more than in 2022. The report shows that in many hospitals there are departments of excellence and departments in which performance does not reach standards. In general, the quality ofassistance hospital went improving for them cardiovascular diseases and for the oncological interventionseven if in many facilities the number of cancer operations is lower than the minimum safety threshold.
From the Pne (National Outcomes Programme) 2024which is based on data of 2023“it immediately emerges that healthcare is recovering compared to pre-pandemic volumes, both for urgent hospitalizations and for scheduled and daytime ones. Regarding the outcomes, the Pne notes a clear improvement in the indicators for time-dependent pathologies. Not only that. For some areas, I am thinking of access to angioplasty, in addition to highlighting a better performance, there is also greater homogeneity between regions. This can only please me.” This is the comment of the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci, in his speech at the Cnel in Rome upon the presentation of the report. And again: “With regards to oncological surgery – continued the minister – the Pne notes an increase in the volume of operations for all locations, a concentration of cases in high-volume facilities which is very good for breast cancer and good for lung cancer. And finally, the treemap also shows an increase in structures with high or very high quality for at least 50% of the activity carried out in 2023″.
The method
The National Outcomes Program, an observatory on hospital care in Italy, takes this into consideration 205 indicators refer to 8 different clinical areas. But these areas, being evaluated, are not applied to all hospitals: about a third of facilities in 2023 were evaluated for only one or two clinical areas.
The top
For the third year in a row, theHumanitas Clinical Institute of Rozzano reported a high or very high quality rating in 7 clinical areas. Among the public structures, the best were theMarche University Hospital Company (7 clinical areas) and theCareggi University Hospital of Florence (8 clinical areas).
Cardiovascular area
In 2023, 59% of facilities treating cardiovascular diseases achieved high or very high quality levels. In 2022 the percentage stopped at 51%.
Heart attack
According to Agenas’ Pne report, it is increased timeliness of access regarding coronary angioplasty in heart attack patients. As regards interventions within 90 minutes, hospitals that exceeded quality standards went from 57% in 2022 to 60% in 2023.
The best structures were found to be:
- Barone Barone Romeo hospital in Patti (Me),
- Treviso Hospital,
- G. Pasquinucci Heart Hospital (Ms).
Another 35 hospitals demonstrated values at or above the 60% threshold in 2023 within 90 minutes of a heart attack.
The structures of the North:
- Maria Vittoria Hospital (To),
- Santa Croce Hospital (To),
- Hospital for the Sick (Bi),
- Sondrio Hospital,
- Bolognini Hospital (BG),
- Po di Chiari (Bs),
- Poliambulance Foundation (Bs),
- C. Poma Hospital (Mn),
- Bolzano Central Hospital,
- S. Chiara (Tn),
- Sant’Andrea Hospital (Sp),
- Maggiore CA Pizzardi Hospital (Bo),
- Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital (Ra),
- Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital (Fc),
- Hospital for the Infirm (Rn),
- New S. Agostino Civil Hospital – Este (Mo),
- University hospital company (Fe).
In the Center South:
- G. Pasquinucci Heart Hospital (Ms),
- San Giovanni Battista Hospital Foligno (Pg),
- Pesaro plant,
- Macerata plant,
- North Hospital (Lt),
- F. Spaziani Hospital (Fr),
- Casilino Polyclinic (Rm),
- Aou Policlinico Tor Vergata (Rm),
- Po Maria SS. Sorrowful (Sa),
- Villa Verde Srl Nursing Home (Ta),
- City of Lecce Nursing Home,
- Aou Mater Domini (Cz),
- Po S. Giovanni di Dio (Ag),
- Po Giovanni Paolo II (Ag),
- Po Barone-Romeo Patti (Me),
- Po S. Antonio Abate (Tp),
- Civic hospital of Palermo,
- Monserrato Polyclinic (Ca).
There were 14 facilities that did not reach the standards. The worst results were recorded in these hospitals:
- Giaccone Hospital in Palermo,
- San Giuliano Hospital in Naples,
- Monaldi of Naples,
- SS. Annunziata of Sassari,
- San Paolo Hospital in Savona,
- Po Riuniti of Reggio Calabria.
Coronary artery bypass grafting
These are the best facilities for hospitalizations for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, i.e. not associated with other cardiac surgery:
- A. Gemelli University Hospital (Rm),
- AO OO.RR. S. Giovanni di Dio and Ruggi D’Aragona (Sa),
- University Hospital of the Marche (An),
- Villa Maria Cecilia Hospital (Ra),
- PO Cliniciz. SS. Annunziata (Ch),
- G. Pasquinucci Heart Hospital (Mc),
- AOU Mater Domini (Cz),
- Hospital – Careggi University (Fi),
- Treviso Hospital,
- Sant’Andrea Hospital (Rm),
- Policl. Univ. Campus Bio Medico (Rm),
- Montevergine Nursing Home (Av),
- Mestre Hospital (Ve),
- Hesperia Hospital Modena Srl (Mo),
- Hospital garrison. Cattinara and Maggiore (Ts),
- University Hospital Company (Pa),
- Civil Hospital of Legnano (Milan),
- Gaspare Rodolico Hospital (Ct).
Tumors
In 2023 there were 66,532 hospitalizations for surgery on malignant tumors of the breast2,500 more than in 2022. There were 168 structures that recorded a volume of activity equal to or greater than 150 interventions per year, equal to 85% of cases. This is a slight improvement compared to 2022 (84%). But 201 facilities are unable to exceed 50 interventions per year.
The most common types of breast cancer surgery are:
- Io from Milan,
- Gemelli Hospital in Rome,
- Careggi Hospital in Florence,
- Humanitas of Rozzano,
- Catania hospital.
Regarding the malignant tumor at colon183 structures in Italy have activity volumes equal to or greater than 50 interventions per year, for a corresponding caseload value of 66%. And 28% of cases are treated in low- or very low-volume facilities.
The most common types of colon cancer surgery are:
- Gemelli Hospital in Rome,
- Pisa Hospital (311),
- Sant’Orsola Hospital in Bologna.
These are the data on the malignant tumor of prostate: 143 structures in Italy had volumes of activity equal to or greater than 50 interventions per year, this is 80% of the caseload. But 16% of cases are treated in facilities with low or very low volumes.
For malignant tumors of lung50 structures (74% of the total) carried out at least 96 interventions per year. 20% of cases are treated in facilities with low or very low volumes. Those who operate the most for lung cancer are:
- Careggi of Florence,
- Io from Milan,
- San Raffaele of Milan.
The malignant tumor of pancreas recorded 3,053 interventions in 2023. 42% of cases were treated in facilities with low or very low volumes of activity. Only 10 structures in Italy presented activity volumes equal to or greater than 50 interventions per year:
- AOU Verona Borgo Rome,
- IRCCS S. Raffaele (Milan),
- Pisan University Hospital Company,
- IRCCS Humanitas (Mi),
- Pederzoli Nursing Home (Vr),
- Gemelli University Hospital (Rm),
- IRCCS Policlinico S. Orsola (Bo),
- Padua University Hospital Company,
- Ca’ Granda-Niguarda Hospital (Milan).
Fracture of the femoral neck
The proportion of patients over 65 operated within 48 hours for a femur fracture increased in 2023. 59% of hospital facilities have reached the standards, compared to 53% in 2022. The majority of facilities suffering on this front are concentrated in Calabria, Liguria, Basilicata, Umbria, Molise and Sardinia.
These, however, are the best structures:
- PO Umberto I (Sr),
- Monopoli Hospital (Ba),
- Sandro Pertini Hospital (Rm),
- PO S. Giovanni di Dio (Ag),
- Humanitas Gavazzeni (BG).
Good placings also for these hospitals:
- San Donato Polyclinic (Milan),
- Portogruaro Hospital (Ve),
- San Donà di Piave Hospital (Ve),
- Feltre Hospital (Bl),
- Versilia Hospital (Lu),
- Sandro Pertini Hospital (Rm),
- San Paolo Hospital in Civitavecchia (Rm),
- AO San Camillo-Forlanini (Rm),
- Jesi plant (An),
- IRCCS Hospital of Venus (Ba),
- Monopoli Hospital (Ba),
- Guzzardi Hospital (Rg),
- PO S. Giovanni di Dio (Ag),
- PO Trigona (Sr).
Improvements, compared to 2022, were recorded for 10 high-volume structures, which in the previous three-year period had not reached the 60% threshold and in 2023 reached or exceeded 75%:
- Castelli Hospital Establishment (Vb),
- Hospital for the Sick (Bi),
- Mater Domini Nursing Home (Va),
- Maggiore CA Pizzardi Hospital (Bo),
- L. Parodi Delfino Colleferro Hospital (Rm),
- San Filippo Neri Presidium (Rm),
- Umberto I Polyclinic (Rm),
- Pineta Grande Nursing Home (Ce),
- S. Leonardo (Na),
- Paola Hospital (Cs).
Births are decreasing
There were 381,766 new births in 2023, 11,700 fewer than in 2022. In Italy, one birth point in three is below the threshold limit of 500 births per year. And births with primary caesarean section are decreasing: 22.7% in 2023 compared to 23.1% in 2022. Cesarean sections are decreasing in public hospitals and increasing in private ones.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
In 2023, hospitalizations for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the minimally invasive operation to remove the gallbladder or gallbladder, increased. The data speak of 101,700 operations, 9,000 more than in 2022. The percentage of hospitalizations with post-operative stays of less than 3 days also increased: 88% in 2023 compared to 86% in 2022. The variability between hospitals has also been reducing on the national territory, a sign of a general improvement in levels of assistance. Day surgery hospitalizations also increased in 2023: in 2023 there were 5,000 more than in 2022.
