Welcome to the 24th PCS International Working Conference
This year’s theme “Case mix beyond funding: contributions for health policy” has an essentially exploratory purpose. Its aim is to enable participants to identify, define and acknowledge the significance of patients’ classifications systems issues in the shaping of health policy around the globe. The conference is looking for contributions which address, in particular, issues related to case mix and health care system funding, costing in health economics evaluation, case mix and evidence based medicine and case mix and health planning. The present situation in health care policy is beset with problems of escalating costs and cost-containment related policies with sometimes unexpected impacts that raise concerns regarding all forms of equity. Health care is recognised as right of all the citizens and health itself as a key aspect for an equitable and sustainable development. Most of the health reforms around the world aim at simultaneous improvements in efficiency and in equity of existing health care systems.
The theme selected for the PCS International Lisbon 2008 Conference raises the hope that case mix issues become a central piece of the continuous process of reform based on lessons learnt from accumulated experiences and stemming from new knowledge in the scientific and empiric field.