title: [Planning highly specialised services in Catalonia].
abstract: One of the principal challenges in healthcare systems is deciding which services have to be concentrated, taking into account, among other things, their low-frequency, complexity, risk, accumulated experience and costs., Concentration must make it possible to guarantee the quality of the service and the best results possible. This article describes, the conceptual elements, the benchmark criteria, the impact on the centres and the minimum conditions that the mechanisms must meet, which have been taken into account in the reorganisation of high-complexity services in Catalonia. Some of those issues that have been dealt with in the restructuring process are also considered, such as tertiary cardiology, in both the cardiac surgery and therapeutic coronary angioplasty sections, and oncology in the section of infrequent oncological surgery. Renal transplants, serious multiple-trauma care and the use of positron emission tomography are also dealt with.
authors.affiliation: Director de Planificació, Compra i Avaluació, Regió Sanitària de Barcelona, CatSalut, España. aguarga@catsalut.cat
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guarga
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pla
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benet
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pozuelo
mesh_terms: D006298:Health Services Administration; D008511:Medicine; D012040:Regional Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013030:Spain; D013038:Specialization