Today, we started our morning with Dr. Florencia Ledesma’s lecture on Medife and Obras Sociales. Medife is a private medical company that consists of their own private insurance (also called Medife) and Obras Sociales known as ASE. ASE is an obras sociales made up of only executives and is responsible for correct usage of contributions, providing services, and contracting with insurance companies. ASE has the option of contracting Medife or Swiss Medical depending on need. Essentially, Unions such as ASE hold money and make decisions on what to do with it. Medife services include dental care, emergency services, medication, and other essential services. One specific service they included that specifically stood out to me was the telemedicina (telemedicine). Their quality ratings are high due to their efficient connections with healthcare professionals remotely. It is very efficient, taking about 2-3 patients per hour and having less than a 5 min wait. These self services are available 24/7 and especially peaked during the pandemic.
After this visit, we returned to IES offices and had a light lunch alongside some coffee I purchased nearby. Then, we attended another lecture at ICBA, a private cardiovascular clinic. This clinic was recently purchased by Swiss Medical. It continued evolving to a patient centered disease oriented group. Their core values consist of patient experience, impact, and efficiency. Their mission is oriented to the prevention, diagnostic and treatment of the patients with cardiovascular diseases, focusing on both quality and efficiency. Although they make contracts with unions, for the most part their patients are from private insurance companies. The insurance pays per treatment. This clinic is very efficient with procedures taking a couple hrs and discharge time being about 4 hours.
For the remainder of our afternoon, we took a tour of the Museum of Latin Art in Buenos Aires. Two of Frida Kahlo’s notable paintings were at the museum. One specific painting that stood out to me was one of a woman with tears that included different drawings of the reproductive system. The story behind it was very interesting and sad. According to the information provided, Frida was involved in a horrible accident that destroyed her reproductive organs. Consequently, she had two miscarriages. The museum also had a section dedicated to the African population of Brazil who endured slavery for many years.
