Geap innovates in management and achieves unprecedented results

posted on 01/15/2023 00:00

(credit: personal archive)

Geap Self-Management in Health turns 77 in a new, renewed phase and with a strengthened credibility in the health plan market. The foundation needed to modernize its management to reverse a severe economic and financial crisis and overcome the possibility of bankruptcy within a few years. When he took over in 2019, the Board implemented a series of urgent measures for the sanitation and sustainability of the Foundation.

“When we arrived, under the leadership of the then CEO Ricardo Figueiredo, Geap was under the fiscal management of the National Integrative Health Agency (ANS). At the same time that we faced a great challenge, we saw an opportunity to transform Geap into a reference in the market”, explains the current CEO of the Foundation, Pablo Gontijo.

For five years – from 2015 to 2020 – Geap was subject to the special Fiscal Management regime, a mechanism set up by ANS for those healthcare workers who present a serious economic and financial imbalance. To overcome this scenario, in just one year, the Council has taken various actions, such as cutting expenses, canceling unnecessary contracts and expanding the audit.

financial sustainability

In order to guarantee the economic and financial health of the Foundation, the Management has concentrated its efforts on the evolution of the results in view of the obligations dictated by the ANS. The numbers demonstrate the continuous improvement of the result of Geap, as evidenced by the financial director of Geap, Claudio Lopes Barbosa. “From 2017 to 2022, the company’s financial health improved significantly, going from a negative result of 388 million reais to a positive amount of more than 1.9 billion reais, which represents a significant expansion to support the his expenses”, details.

An investment policy has been created as part of the Manager’s resource management actions. “Thinking of strengthening the financial security of the Foundation, in line with our corporate governance, we have created an investment commission, with well-defined rules, focused on maintaining financial reserves, without neglecting sustainability,” said Claudio.

Geap’s performance was highlighted in the Yearbook Época Negócios 360º 2022. The operator achieved 4th place in “Financial Performance” in the Health sector ranking, which evaluated 26 companies from all over Brazil. Criteria such as: financial health, balance sheet and indicators and issues related to the topic most discussed by leadership were considered.

Small adjustments and network of accredited quality

Thanks to the restructuring of the accounts and management efficiency, which made it possible to reverse the economic result in favor of the beneficiary, in a sustainable way, the company achieved, in 2022, the lowest realignment of plans since 2013. With 2.26 %, Geap remained well below the ANS index, which reached 15.5%. Being a non-profit organization, the decision reinforces the Foundation’s mission, that of investing resources in improving the services provided for the benefit of its beneficiaries.

Another important factor in favoring the satisfaction of beneficiaries is to provide a diversified, reliable, complete and accredited quality network, guaranteeing sustainability without compromising the result in the provision of services. In 2022, more than 774 new providers were accredited, including 27 hospitals. Today Geap has more than 15,500 providers throughout the country.

“As far as the network is concerned, the goal is not expansion, but investment in the network itself. This consists not only in expanding the number of suppliers, but above all in taking care of the quality of assistance”, explains Pablo.

The work is carried out from the accreditation process, when the partnership with suppliers is established, through regulation, streamlining of authorization procedures, up to billing, where we guarantee payment for the services provided. “The result of this process is a satisfied hospital and well-served beneficiaries. These factors helped reverse the declining trend in Geap’s beneficiary portfolio,” he adds.

New agreements and expansion of the beneficiary portfolio

The Council’s strategy also includes the conquest of new sponsors, i.e. public bodies accredited to the GEAP. Several new agreements were signed in 2022, with a particular focus on judicial bodies. During the period, Geap became a member of the State Courts of Justice (TJPR, TJRR, TJRO, TJAM and TJTO), the Regional Labor Court of Santa Catarina (TRT/SC) and the Regional Electoral Court of Ceará (TRE/CE). In total, the new partnerships have the potential to claim more than 12,000 lives and bolster Geap’s portfolio growth.

Another consequence of the sanitation management work was the partnership established with ANS itself. As the agency that regulates, standardizes, controls, and inspects health plan activities in Brazil, the agency’s adherence to the GEAP agreement with the Union reaffirms the Foundation’s credibility.

Reliable organizational climate

The appreciation of employees and a healthy and positive work environment is also a source of pride for Geap. Since 2020, the company has been recognized as an excellent company to work for by the Great Place To Work (GPTW) certification program. In 2022, the Foundation achieved its best result, with a score of 89. With the positive numbers and important results of recent years, Geap Saúde is establishing itself even more in the health plan market and should follow the growth curve in the next few years, that’s what Pablo plans.