In this work we analyse the developments that necessitated the adoption of Financial Recovery Plans (Piani di Rientro) for the healthcare systems of some Italian regions and how these plans evolved over time.
We look at the measures adopted by the eight Italian regions that were obliged to adopt a Financial Recovery Plan as well as their implications for healthcare infrastructures. We examine service quality and waiting times as well as patient mobility in the eight regions, including by comparison with Italy's other regions.
Our results show that the plans achieved mixed economic results: they were effective in nudging Piedmont, Sicily and Campania towards a balanced budget, but Lazio, Molise and Calabria still suffer from deficits, even substantial ones. The improvement in service quality was even more mixed. While quality did improve in all the regions that adopted a plan, only Piedmont was able to guarantee the national minimum standard of service quality over time, while Calabria and Campania were never able to meet this standard.
