Read the Conversation
EF: What is AC Camargo’s role in Brazil’s fight against cancer? Could you provide an overview of your footprint in Brazil?
VA: AC Camargo is a private, not-for-profit foundation dedicated to cancer care. For 70 years, we have treated all types of cancer, regardless of complexity or social disparities. We operate in twelve different disease centers, and our services extend to the public and private sectors, making us a hyper-specialized institution with 90,000 patients, including 17,000 new patients only last year.
Over the years, we have evolved from a cancer hospital to a comprehensive oncology platform. We are breaking down barriers and forging partnerships in patient care, education, innovation, and research. We have trained medical professionals nationwide in over 25 specialties, creating a strong alumni network seeking our support. We aim to expand our influence geographically, enhance local treatment effectiveness, and establish AC Camargo as a reference center for complex diseases.
We envision creating a collaborative network encompassing private and public sectors, setting aside competition for a joint approach. AC Camargo focuses on high-quality, low-waste cancer care, and we believe we can significantly impact healthcare in Brazil by fostering collaboration and integration in this fragmented landscape. We are committed to streamlining and improving coordination, specialization, and efficiency. Our goal is to attract patients and elevate oncology standards across the country.
EF: How is AC Camargo promoting a more sustainable and effective setting for cancer care in Brazil?
VA: Oncology is shifting towards outpatient care and eventually into patients' homes, suggesting that our healthcare system will not require as many hospitals in the future. Therefore, at AC Camargo, we encourage investing in processes rather than structures, aiming to enhance oncology by streamlining operations and reducing waste.
Brazil presents inconsistency in treatment plans due to fee-for-service models. Patients with the same condition receive different treatment plans depending on the provider. AC Camargo, as a nonprofit, advocates for balanced care. We are establishing reference standards, which can be adapted to local variations.
We are pushing for a value-based payment model, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to ensure effective treatments. We are also engaging with insurance companies to develop bundled payment models, utilizing our comprehensive clinical and financial data to improve care quality and reduce complications' costs. We aim to pioneer these value-based payment models and lead the country toward a more efficient and patient-centric healthcare system.
EF: How are you providing high-quality knowledge and in-house training while staying true to being a nonprofit institute?
VA: AC Camargo’s culture has always been about providing excellent care without focusing on profit. In the past, oncology was less expensive and relied more on doctors' experience than costly technology or drugs. Today, we require better financial management and attention to investments. However, our institution's core value remains delivering quality care, and our revenue is reinvested to ensure our sustainability.
AC Camargo was built on this altruistic mindset, and we want society to see us as a credible reference. We aim to use this credibility to share important truths about oncology. While more people are entering the field due to the rising cancer cases, their primary motivation should not be financial gain. We believe in a more regulated system focusing on comprehensive patient care, including rehabilitation and managing side effects. How we measure and display quality results is essential for our society.
EF: How does AC Camargo attract and retain medical professionals?
VA: At AC Camargo, we offer our physicians a strong value proposition. Despite having been offered positions with higher paying salaries, many doctors choose to stay with us because we provide five essential benefits.
Firstly, we foster integrated care, where physicians collaborate and take on higher risks to treat patients effectively. Secondly, our institution provides early access to cutting-edge technology and new drugs, making our doctors pioneers in the field. Thirdly, AC Camargo is a hub for continuous learning and teaching, which our doctors highly value as we constantly enhance their expertise. Fourthly, our institution's governance involves physicians in decision processes. Doctors actively contribute to our strategy and shape the organization's future. Lastly, AC Camargo is a mission-driven institution that attracts doctors to prioritize patient care over financial gain. I am proud to work alongside such dedicated professionals.
EF: How can Brazil become a global innovation hub and push investment into further cancer research?
VA: In terms of structured innovation, Brazil is just beginning. While Brazilians are naturally innovative, having a structured process for creation is different; it means turning good ideas into impactful solutions.
AC Camargo established an innovation hub two years ago to integrate with the broader ecosystem. This hub brings in startups, biotech, Edu-tech, and other players. Meanwhile, we are also building partnerships outside our institution. By exposing our organization to a wider network, innovation will grow exponentially because solutions often lie at the intersections of different players. We are observing a nationwide movement, with many institutions developing their own innovation departments. Our next step is to connect all these different innovation hubs to create a true impact. We aim to collaborate with the government and the private sector because we need an integral approach. We are here to enhance oncology care for the entire country.
EF: If you had to build a sustainable healthcare system in Brazil, what would be your three main pillars?
VA: We need to reshape our healthcare system to make it more efficient. Currently, we have over 5,000 hospitals in the country, most with 50 beds or less, where particularly the private sector needs better organization and structure. A central aspect to be improved is education. We must educate people in healthcare, including insurance companies, as well as patients. Payers have to know procedures, especially in a field where quality should precede volume.
The second pillar is improving the quality measurement and making it the basis for selecting healthcare providers. Patients, companies, and insurance providers should know precisely what they are getting. The third aspect is information technology and data integration. Healthcare in Brazil is fragmented, and patient data is not readily available across providers. We must work on prevention and better chronic disease management, instead of only treating acute episodes. Integrating data would greatly aid these efforts, reducing waste and improving overall healthcare in Brazil.
EF: Could you elaborate on the importance of early diagnostics and prevention?
VA: In Brazil, we expect a 40% increase in cancer cases in the next 20 years due to an aging population and unhealthy habits. Aging is natural, and we want people to live longer with a good quality of life. However, more people retire and rely on the public healthcare system, while fewer people work and contribute, challenging us to rethink the system's structure.
On the other hand, unhealthy habits like smoking, sun exposure, and poor diet need to be addressed in national programs. Promoting healthy practices and prevention is crucial as we cannot afford to wait until people have cancer to treat them.
Early diagnosis can narrow the gap between public and private healthcare. In the public system, advanced cancer patients often lack access to cutting-edge treatments, which reduces their chances of survival. Prevention efforts should be a priority for both companies and the government. Therefore, we need to invest in infrastructure for prevention rather than building more hospitals, as preventing cancer is far more cost-effective than treating it at advanced stages. For example, stage 3 colon cancer is 40 times more costly to treat than stage 1, and early-stage patients can quickly return to work. The same applies to other cancers like breast cancer and melanoma.
Oncology has evolved from primarily hospital-based to outpatient care. The hospital landscape is changing, and we adapt accordingly. There is no need to build additional hospitals if our 500 beds can serve more patients efficiently due to advancements like minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, smarter therapies, and improved radiation techniques. We are renovating our ICU and reducing the number of beds to accommodate the times.
We believe healthcare solutions will come from outside the healthcare industry, driven by technology. Innovations like AI image recognition can already assess skin lesions and support diagnosis. Technology will help us reduce waste, integrate providers, data, and processes, and make healthcare more transparent. While some treatment technologies may become more expensive due to genomics, information technology will likely offset these costs, resulting in a balanced and efficient healthcare system.
EF: As you celebrate 70 years, what message would you like to share with your team regarding the long-standing effort to provide oncology solutions?
VA: At AC Camargo, our doctors and executives work together seamlessly as a high-performance team to find the best patient solutions. I take immense pride in our work. We are well-prepared for complex care, taking on high-risk cases while working calmly because we share the responsibility. High-performance teams share a vision, objectives, and resources, communicate effectively, and work efficiently. Based on 70 years of experience, our goal is to extend our knowledge and approach to the entire country.
