Contributing to an efficient healthcare system which benefits everyone

Interview with Grégory Olocco, Vice President of Markets, Strategy and Innovation at Air Liquide Healthcare Business Line.

The expectations of healthcare systems and healthcare coverage authorities have changed drastically in recent years. How does Air Liquide adapt to this trend?

Grégory Olocco: All over the world, healthcare systems are facing the question of their own sustainability. Both direct and indirect cost management has become crucial. In the case of chronic diseases, unsuitable care support or failure to adhere to treatment can lead to major consequences: complications, emergency hospital admissions, as well as side effects, absence from work, etc. The result: everyone misses out, both patients and society. For this reason, public and private healthcare coverage authorities are shifting towards more efficient approaches, such as performance-based payments in France. The remuneration of healthcare providers, such as Air Liquide, is no longer simply dependent on delivering a health service. It could be adapted to the patient’s level of adherence, in other words, to his or her level of commitment to the treatment prescribed. This new, overall approach takes into account the value created for the patient and the savings generated for the system as a whole.

In this context, how is the Group positioned and what are its strengths?

G. O.: We believe that committing to patients adherence to treatment is essential. To do so, we rely on two of our major strengths: our close human proximity with our patients at home and our ability to innovate, in particular in terms of digital solutions. Combined with the human factor, connected healthcare enables the personalization of patient follow-up, the detection of any complications, the anticipation of re-hospitalization and the streamlining of interactions between healthcare players. This unique combination, reinforced by an operational excellence that is recognized by healthcare professionals, represents the added-value of Air Liquide’s solutions.

The remuneration of the healthcare provider could be adapted to the patient’s level of adherence, in other words, to his or her level of commitment to the treatment prescribed.

(a) WHO - Adherence to long-term therapies: evidence for action - 2003.

(b) French Social Security - Income and Expenses Report - 2019.