Unimed System Sustem Sustainability Report 2015

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Unimed System Sustainability Report
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Revision of the Unimed System
Code of Conduct
Started in 2014, the Unimed System Code of Conduct revision
counted a work group composed by the National Sustainabili-
ty Committee and representatives from several Unimeds from all
over the country. The purpose of the code revision was to align its
contents to the Unimed cooperatives current reality, identifying
the Unimed System officers and employees conduct expectation
in relation to their relationship publics. Its new version, prepared in
a participative way during four gatherings, will be launched in the
second semester of 2015.
Integrity Promotion Program at the
Unimed Cooperatives
In partnership with Instituto Ethos, the program aims at diagnos-
ing how the reputable conduct is dealt with in the Unimed System,
identifying the main already existing corruption preventing and
fighting practices, as well as defining an action plan for insertion
and development of these topics into Unimeds for a more repu-
table, ethical and transparent environment. A pioneer initiative in
corruption reduction and mitigation, the program also allow defi-
nition of indicators common to the entire System.
High-Cost Materials Management - Ortheses, Prostheses
and Special Materials (OPMEs)
Ethics and sustainability are concepts integrating the cooperativist practice. The Unimed System values and
prioritizes these values. Being the largest supplementary health segment in the country, we sought to contribute
to provide society with heath management practices compatible with these principles.
Among the growing health management costs, those related to the OPMEs utilization have been outstanding
as the most worrisome. According to the Ministry of Health, there are about 3,800 companies commercializing
implantable devices in the country. Over 15 thousand medical products are launched in Brazil every year. In the
Unimed System, in the last five years alone the expenses with these materials increased over 120%, much more
than inflation variation of around 35%.
In 2014, our cooperatives disbursed approximately 4.5 billion reals with OPMEs. Simultaneously with the
growing costs, denounces related to illegal commercial practices have become frequent, both among the health
industry players and in the national media. In some circumstances the existing of the so-called “OPMEs mafia”
has been demonstrated, specialized in generating frauds compromising the financial sustainability of SUS and
of the supplementary segment besides generating risks and suffering to patients. The Unimed System acted
expressively to change this scenario. Besides the important work of the Unimed CTNPM – National Medical
Products Technical Committee in the negotiation of suitable prices for the medial products it negotiates, the
OPMEs Strategic Commission was created. This commission works internally with the System cooperatives
and externally with the Judiciary, Legislative and Executive Branches. Its role is to set forth policies and foster
sustainable practices for the System and for the health industry. It also seeks to guarantee that good market
practices be valued and protected, besides assisting in the fight against all forms of corruption, exploration and
cartelization in this segment.