August|2023
Interact’s client for over 5 years, Agir – Association for Management, Innovation, and Results in Health, has been awarded for its good practices in two hospitals it manages. Agir, acting as an institution dedicated to promoting management and administration solutions in the healthcare sector, utilizes Interact’s software to enhance its performance.
The achievement of this award was accomplished through the promotion of mechanisms for handling feedback and protecting whistleblowers acting in good faith, in accordance with Resolution No. 3/2019 of the National Network of Ombudsmen and other relevant legislation.
About Public Ombudsmen
Public ombudsmen, originating in Sweden in 1809 and strengthened in Brazil with the 1988 Federal Constitution, are currently administrative units within the organs and entities that compose the Unified Health System (SUS). Their main objective is to enable citizens’ rights in the healthcare area by mediating communication between citizens and SUS services.
Feedback, encompassing complaints, reports, suggestions, compliments, requests, and information, plays a fundamental role in the quality of communication between users and services, establishing a bond of trust and mutual collaboration. Additionally, they empower citizens to represent themselves before the Public Administration in defense of their rights, thereby contributing to the promotion of citizenship in healthcare. These feedback also generate valuable data that directs continuous improvements in healthcare services.
In order to provide greater security to whistleblowers, Resolution No. 3 establishes the protection of their identity, allowing the report to be made through any existing means, including verbally, and to be recorded in a specific processing system. Furthermore, whistleblowers have unimpeded and free access to official means and channels for submitting reports and have the right to be informed about the progress of the report, as stipulated in Law No. 12,527, dated November 18, 2011.
Agir Drives Good Practices in Hospitals
The hospitals managed by Agir, the State Hospital for Children and Adolescents (HECAD), and the State Hospital for Sanitary Dermatology (HDS) have implemented the Suite SA System, provided by Interact, as a safeguard mechanism. This computerized system enables the ombudsman to efficiently manage feedback, allowing for the preparation of reports and improvement strategies through action plans. Additionally, it ensures the anonymity of whistleblowers, as feedback remains under restricted access and exclusive custody of the unit’s ombudsman, in accordance with the guidelines of Resolution No. 3/2019.
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to using the internal system for handling and planning actions related to feedback, the hospitals’ ombudsmen also mandatorily use the OUVIDORSUS system, indicated for healthcare ombudsmen. Each registered demand has restricted access for responsible parties and the Ombudsman Service team.
Agir, with the technical support of its Compliance Nucleus, joined SUS ombudsmen from the HDS and HECAD units in a call promoted by the General Comptroller of the Union, participating in the VI Contest of Good Practices of the National Network of Ombudsmen. The contest aims to stimulate, recognize, and reward initiatives developed by public ombudsmen at all levels of the federation, promoting the improvement of social control, expanding spaces and channels for social participation in management, and improving public service provision through ombudsmen.
The ombudsmen of the HDS and HECAD hospitals were awarded in the category “Promotion of mechanisms for handling feedback and protecting whistleblowers acting in good faith,” achieving the third place. The highlight was the digital culture of Agir’s strategic planning, with electronic processes that guarantee the integrity of confidentiality for whistleblowers acting in good faith, providing legal security and optimization in the handling of reports. Detailed indicators of the entire investigation process are disclosed to top management, enabling informed decision-making and the prevention/mitigation of ethical violations in the care provided to SUS patients in these healthcare units.
Interact Excellence, the business unit that serves Agir, takes great pride in being part of this successful journey and continues with the commitment to offer advanced and secure solutions in corporate management, contributing to the continuous improvement of services provided in the healthcare sector. We congratulate Agir, the hospitals, and their customer support departments on this achievement and reaffirm our commitment to remain a partner in the pursuit of excellence in management and innovation in healthcare.