Karolinskas new director, open for changes

on Tuesday, it was announced that Björn Zoëga, has been appointed by regional council to the new hospital director of Karolinska university hospital. He succeeds Melvin Samsom, who resigned in the fall, shortly after the DN has revealed that he engaged acquaintances for expensive consulting engagements. The acting director has been Annika Tibell.

Zoëga was asked for six weeks ago. He describes the mission as a fun challenge.

a background as a specialist in orthopedic surgery and has previously been head of the Iceland's university hospital. He has had several management positions in orthopedics and spine surgery at the Sahlgrenska university hospital in Gothenburg, sweden.

today, he is ceo of the private ryggkirurgiklinikerna GHP Spine Center in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Within the group, GHP Specialty Care, he is medical director.

in Addition, he sits on the board of the company Bariatric and Diabetes Center Ajman AB, which is included in the GHP group and operates hospitals in the United arab Emirates.

, formerly known as Global Health Partners and has a turnover of nearly one billion, was built up of Karolinskas former chairman of the board Per Båtelson, who was brief in his post, then the questions about the suspected conflict of interest around a company that he himself was a partner in appeared. Itself has Björn Zoëga no relation to the Båtelson, said he.

Karolinska has in recent years been surrounded by several cases where key personnel have been sitting on double chairs.

– Challenge is not something I want to expose myself to end up in. I will jump out of all my items in companies before I take office, " says Björn Zoëga.

he has followed the reports in the media about all the problems identified, in different areas, at the Karolinska.

" of course I read and heard rumors. It is something I will now look at the inside, to form an opinion about. The most important thing is that we continue to deliver highly specialized, excellent care, and that we should get on the economy. It will lead to it becoming an attractive workplace.

economy is now hard strained, that the DN previously told. The numbers are pointing towards a record deficits of over 800 million in 2018.

Björn Zoëga says that it is difficult to say exactly how he will reverse the trend.

I give priority to getting to grips with the economy and see it as something we need help with, all throughout the hospital.

" But it is important to make an image of what the basic problems are, and be responsive and open. I give priority to getting to grips with the economy and see it as something we need help with, all throughout the hospital.

of the Karolinska, which began in 2015 has resulted in what is called the ”new operating model” – based on a relatively nyuppfunnet american vårdkoncept, value-based care as promoted by the Boston Consulting Group. Both the concept, konsultberoendet and the new organizational model has been criticized, particularly by the doctor.

– As I understood it, the physicians experienced that they have not been involved in decisions and discussions about the model – it, I will take hold of relatively quickly, for to see: how can we move ourselves from the situation we are in now, to something that works and where everyone is happy? Where I will also talk with other professionals – for example, how to get more nurses on site, how to get more people to be satisfied – that it will be a good place to work, " says Björn Zoëga.

" Absolutely." We will not forward if we do not agree with continuous improvement. It needs to be done no matter what you have in order for the model as a starting point. Then we will see if even more changes are needed.

Björn Zoëga is the new hospital director of Karolinska university hospital. Photo: Stockholm Spine Center GHP

Critical voices have been raised against the that the departments, based on the doctors ' specialties, been removed in the new organization, and replaced by the amounts of the flows based on the diagnoses. Can Björn Zoëga, imagine that the reintroduction of the clinics?

" I have only worked in environments where there are clinics, and thus not been at a place where you have no other system. I must investigate both the advantages and disadvantages of this organization. Prio one is how to do it best for the patient. If we need to go back to the old model, so we do it.

In a arbetsmiljöenkät that medical made in 2017 wanted to 89 percent of the physicians that the clinics would remain.

medical association chairman at the Karolinska Yvonne Dellmark is cautiously positive to the newly appointed sjukhusdirektörens answer regarding the clinics.

– It sounds promising. You need to recreate the specialties that the clinics were to be able to retain skills and develop health care, but we want to see it happen before we rejoice, " she says.

that he has some experience of value-based care, which he sees as an ideology, but a theory.

– There is a theory that works to a certain extent.

The positive is our ambition to deliver care which allows the patient will be better, preferably on the faster time, " he says.

– That you think about value for the patient – that is what the patient himself values the most to go after.

not on the basic idea in the concept – to connect the measurement of treatment outcomes to the economy.

– It is perhaps something that could work where the theory comes from, with much more closed systems. Here it is far too complex. Here, in Scandinavia, despite the fact that we have a lot of patient results in different registers, so I find it hard to see that you can allow value-based care-theory to control the economy.

has been widely criticized, and many have testified about a tystnadskultur where employees had not dared to be openly critical. It is a question which, among other things come up around the Macchiarini scandal.

Björn Zoëga says that if there is a tystnadskultur so he wants to seem to get rid of it.

It is extremely important to create a good communication - not only from, but also to me.

– It is extremely important to create a good communication - not only from, but also to me. I do not like tystnadskultur. I really hope that I'll get a degree of transparency. It has always been obvious to me.

it also lays great importance.

– You must get the new knowledge. I myself have kept on with the clinical, patient-oriented research. It is our mission to develop the care for patients.

Within the GHP, he has six months ' notice. He has scheduled the operations which he must perform, and can not only end on the day. A date for when he takes over as Karolinskas the top manager is not yet clear.

regional Director Carina Lundberg Uudelepp. Photo: Anna Molander

the regional Director of the Carina Lundberg Uudelepp expresses the joy of Björn Zoëga is now taking over as the director.

" It is great fun. With his background and expertise, it is my assessment that he is the right man for the job. He also demonstrated great interest in research is also important, for the health service's continued development, " she says.

– It is to pursue the work that is started at the Karolinska university hospital to deliver a care of the very best quality for the patients, but also work to move and restructure the business.

" I, as the regional director have no opinion about it. It is the board of directors and hospital management to develop and follow the ongoing activities, and if necessary, propose adjustments, " says Carina Lundberg Uudelepp.

the Decision was taken by the regional council on Tuesday to appoint Björn Eriksson as the health services director and director of healthcare administration. Björn Eriksson is a cardiologist and today, the director of Skåne university hospital. Previously, he was regional director in the Jämtland-Härjedalen, and held high executive positions at Academic universtetssjukhuset in Uppsala and at the Östersund hospital. He has also been active as a physician at Karolinska.

Read more: Experts: Karolinskas management of patient data can break the law

Read more: the History of the world's most expensive hospital – New Karolinska