Centralization and networking in Italian NHS. European benchmarking and performance evaluation

The health sector is becoming one of the key customers within the public procurement. Hospitals and health organizations purchase goods and services, representing 10-15% of GNP, crucial for the development of economic systems. This paper presents the results of an empirical research (benchmarking approach) on the Italian NHS procurement and the different solutions adopted by the Regions to streamline purchasing processes. The outcomes of our case studies research can be summarized in the need for: - multidimensional performance evaluation; - organizational interventions in tightly-connected areas; - analysis of best practices in national and regional healthcare governance systems.