Juan Gabriel Cendales R.

General Manager, Clinica Las Américas

We are part of a holding that includes nine companies, the biggest being Clinica Las Américas. We provide services for high-complexity patients in the region of Antioquia and nearby cities. We recently had a change in our first line management. I have been here since August 2016 and have brought a new perspective to the business. Talking about healthcare as a business may seem anathema; however, we have to face the fact that it is and needs to be sustainable. As such, we have planned a new strategy for the coming seven years because in 2023 we will be 30 years in Colombia. We have been reinventing ourselves. We will not change anything, but will transform the organization into a more sustainable and developed structure. We have discussed nine lines of strategic planning. The first and most important is called “Tetris.“ It is based on an organizational structure that is functional, dynamic, and flexible and will be related not only to the administrative field, but will also have developed many functional disease-based units like an institute of cardiovascular health, an institute of neuroscience, a renovated women’s institute, and so on. The second line of strategic planning is called Crisalida, which symbolizes transformation and relates to people for which we have developed and implemented a holistic people-centered approach.

Fred A. Piza T.

General Director, Clinica Palermo

Ours was was one of the first clinics in Bogotá and was founded 70 years ago. It was oriented toward private users, prepaid medicine, and insured individuals. The 100th law, approved in 1993, changed the economic models of health institutions, and the clinic got a little left behind as a result. Around 15 years ago, the clinic was going through a complicated financial situation that lasted until 2014. In 2015, we started restructuring the company, a process we have continued to this very day. We have changed the patient service model and strengthened each area such as internal medicine, gynecology, and others in order to give more integral attention to each patient. In economic terms, the last three years have been profitable, and we strengthened our operation model for surgery rooms and the ICU. In terms of our competitive advantages, our largest differentiating factor is our staff, which must have an attitude of service. We are working on effective communication skills, which relates to how our doctors and staff communicate to users and their families. While some of our main partners are insurance companies, we used to receive mostly privately insured clients. Today, however, 80% of our patients come from the contributory scheme. To recapture the private insurance market, we need strategic allies. Our main partners are Sura, Compensar, Sanitas, and Famisanar.

Jesús Eugenio Bustamante Cano

General Manager, Jesús Eugenio Bustamante Cano

Jesús Eugenio Bustamante Cano

General Manager, Hospital General de Medellí­n

The hospital, which started as a maternity clinic serving Medellí­n, is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Since then it has evolved along with the healthcare system of the rest of the country. As things currently stand, the hospital is the most advanced, complex hospital in Colombia and has the most prominent role. We have the capacity to compete with hospitals and clinics in the private sector and provide services not only for people from Medellí­n, but also for those in departments such as Antioquia, Cordoba, Choco, Caldas, Quindí­o, and Risaralda. Most of the population is poor in these regions—we serve the vulnerable and the disadvantaged. In this group, around 92% are from Antioquia, 4% from Choco, and the remainder from the rest of the aforementioned departments. In Antioquia alone, some 80% of our patients are from Medellí­n and its metropolitan area. Originally a maternity clinic, we are still one of the most important hospitals in pediatric and obstetric medicine. We also tend to different specialties and subspecialties ranging from our special care unit to bone marrow transplants. We have 10 surgery rooms and 442 beds. Our main client so far is the public health insurer of Antioquia, which is called Savia Salud, which represents 67% of our sales. The Secretariat of Health of Antioquia pays for those who are not part of this contributive system, which generates 8% of our revenue.