HealthManagement, Volume 15, Issue 4/2013

The FHL groups together hospitals in Luxembourg, defends their occupational interests and promotes all progress in the hospital sector including the wellbeing of the patient. It does this in a spirit of perfect political and religious independence.

 

The FHL was founded in 1948. It began as a structure grouping hospital managers and administrators, predominantly congregationists, who met regularly to resolve common issues. In January 1965 the FHL officially became a non-profit organisation with the development of its statutes. In terms of its legal existence, the FHL is now 48 years old.

 

Missions

Over the last 50 years the healthcare sector has changed in structure and modernised significantly. The FHL has taken account of these changes and adapted its missions accordingly. Today, in line with its statutes, its roadmap has expanded. The FHL’s current missions include:

 

1.To develop a short term and long term strategy for the hospital sector, and consequently a platform for exchange and close consultation between its members with the objective of coming to agreement on the major issues in the sector.

2. To ensure, to guide and to facilitate the practical implementation of decisions made by implementing the common strategy and to work to this end with both public and private stakeholders.

3. To conduct negotiations on behalf of its members with social security institutions on legal agreements and to mediate between its members and the public authorities and social security institutions.

4. To represent its members against third parties for the positions and actions jointly decided and conduct negotiations on behalf of its members for agreements with third parties.

5. To work together with its members to promote scientific and technical progress and innovation.

6.To organise and develop relationships with foreign hospital associations and to adhere to international organisations with similar goals.

7. In general to ensure and meet the common and special interests of all its members taking into account the various legal and regulatory provisions, especially in terms of public health.

 

Members

FHL currently has 12 members, including four regional hospital centres, one general hospital, 3 national centres (radiotherapy, cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology, physical therapy and rehabilitation) and four specialist institutions (obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, postacute care).

 

Activities and Future Plans

In recent years the FHL has been particularly active and restructured itself. Today the association works as a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and close cooperation within the framework of medical, nursing and administrative issues to achieve operational and strategic goals. The association has also participated in legal consultations, developing the modifications set out by the law of December 17 2010 on the reform of healthcare and the establishment of the grand-ducal regulations to clarify the procedures for implementing the 2010 law.

 

The FHL also contributed, under the auspices of the National Health Fund, to the establishment of a uniform analytical accounting plan for the sector for greater transparency in spending, in force since January 2013.

 

The association collaborates closely with stakeholders to reach agreements within the hospital sector. Since its creation, the FHL has negotiated with the trade unions on collective labour agreements. Framework agreements have been reached with the doctors’ association (AMMD) concerning the content of contracts between doctors and hospitals. The FHL has also taken the lead in drafting a standard contract for doctor coordinators (Draft standard contract FHLAMMD). Its implementation raises high expectations for the increased responsibility of doctors for internal management.

 

FHL is an actor and motor in the realisation of national and international projects. For example the FHL created the economic interest group LUXITH G.I.E on the 20th December 2012 with the support of hospitals in Luxembourg. The group focuses on the implementation and operation of common services, software and IT infrastructures. The group will work closely with the e-health agency to implement national projects such as the EAI Mammography service.

 

FHL is involved with areas to promote innovation and technological progress in the interest of hospital staff and patients. FHL participates in the European project HAPPI (Healthy Ageing – Public Procurement of Innovations). The project aims to link together European organisations involved in public sector health procurement in order to identify innovative and sustainable products and solutions to help people age well and support the hospital staff in charge of them.

 

The FHL positions itself as a unifying catalyst in the hospital sector. Many strategic plans for the health sector in Luxembourg are under consideration. Among the most emblematic include the creation of competence centres, the coordinated development of a codification of acts based on hospital diagnoses (ICD10) and medical procedures (ACPC), the creation of a single analysis laboratory for hospitals and the implementation of a plan for logistics services.

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