There are a ton of differences between Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) hospitals and private ones and also differences between them and public hospitals in other countries. Many professionals have recently left their positions within CCSS hospitals.
There have been a number of possible solutions put forth. Some suggestions include increasing the number of specialists, giving them flexibility of hours and shorter hours, reducing administrative tasks, increasing their salaries, and measuring their productivity by the quality of medical care instead of the number of patients served.
How this could play out without worsening problems like long waiting lists remains to be seen. It could however lead to more motivated professionals and better treatment of patients.
Another suggestion is that CCSS hospitals reinvent themselves into medical science centers, hospitals that combine patient care with teaching and clinical research. In medical science centers, the professionals more deeply analyze the pathologies they are treating. They build databases to measure clinical results for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. These centers work on multicenter research projects, such as those with university hospitals, and send professionals to present at medical congresses. Additionally, manager positions are not perpetual rather competed for, based on productivity, after three-year contracts.
