The Transformative Power of Care in Healthcare

Over my four decades as a physician, I’ve witnessed how the ethics of care can revolutionize healthcare systems. At the Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia (FCV) and the Hospital Internacional de Colombia (HIC), we’ve discovered that when care genuinely centers on human well-being, two remarkable outcomes emerge: clinical quality improves and costs decrease. This seemingly paradoxical relationship forms the foundation of our approach—placing people at the center of every decision. Our model rests on three interconnected commitments: caring for patients by ensuring their dignity and safety; caring for healthcare professionals by supporting their wellbeing and growth; and responsibly managing resources with a long-term vision. When these dimensions work together, they create a virtuous circle that generates lasting clinical, human, and economic value. Our experience suggests that well-understood care is the most profitable investment any healthcare institution can make.

At HIC, we’ve learned that patient accompaniment is one of the most valuable investments a hospital can make. This philosophy means walking alongside patients throughout their entire healthcare journey—not just treating their illness, but providing trust, education, and emotional support. This comprehensive approach yields tangible benefits across multiple dimensions. Clinically, accompanied patients better understand their conditions and treatments, improving adherence to recommendations and reducing complications. Our coordinated network of professionals ensures continuous support that translates to better health outcomes, lower readmission rates, and fewer adverse events. From a human perspective, this approach restores humanity to medicine—patients feel heard and supported, not merely diagnosed. This strengthens the physician-patient relationship, reduces anxiety, and enhances the overall care experience. Economically, well-guided patients are less likely to need emergency services, require extended hospitalizations, or undergo treatments for preventable complications. Our proactive support programs—including post-discharge calls, caregiver education, and home visits—have significantly reduced costly indicators like early rehospitalization.

When healthcare is grounded in genuine care, trust flourishes. Nothing reassures patients more than knowing they’re in the hands of professionals truly committed to their wellbeing. This confidence translates to concrete actions: patients engage more actively in treatment, communicate openly about symptoms, and follow medical instructions diligently. Over time, individual trust evolves into institutional reputation. HIC has built strong community ties and earned recognition as a Latin American benchmark for care-centered healthcare models. This combination of technical excellence and human warmth proves to be the most solid formula for building trust. Our institution continuously monitors outcomes against global standards, demonstrating superior clinical indicators—including lower infection rates, faster recoveries, and fewer readmissions. The results validate our approach: safer procedures, higher survival rates, and patients resuming their lives with fewer complications.

In recent years, HIC has implemented a Value-Based Medicine model that maximizes patient outcomes relative to resources used. This approach has earned international recognition, including first place in the Cost-Effectiveness category at the 2023 Value-Based Health Care awards in the Netherlands—the only Spanish-speaking institution honored among 115 initiatives from 27 countries. Our hospital hosts centers of excellence in critical areas such as acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and transplants. Since becoming a pioneer in Colombia with Joint Commission International accreditation in 2009 (the ninth hospital in Latin America to achieve this), HIC has renewed this recognition six times. We’ve also established ourselves as a smart digital hospital by incorporating artificial intelligence into consultation rooms, diagnostic support, risk monitoring, and operating rooms. These innovations streamline processes and free physicians to focus on what matters most: the doctor-patient relationship. Each specialized center comprises multidisciplinary teams working in a coordinated, patient-centered manner to ensure comprehensive care while enhancing outcomes and patient experience. We’ve demonstrated that compassion and efficiency can—and must—coexist to deliver the highest quality care at sustainable costs.

A fundamental lesson we’ve learned is that patients cannot receive good care unless healthcare professionals are well-cared for too. At HIC, this translates to two major commitments: actively promoting professional and personal development through continuous education and career growth opportunities, and addressing emotional wellbeing through psychological support, team-building activities, public recognition, and flexible scheduling in critical areas. A sustainable healthcare system is one where everyone feels valued—from resident physicians working through the night to nurses providing monitoring and comfort, from orderlies transporting patients to administrators addressing family concerns. When staff feel supported by their institution, they naturally pass that sense of security and empathy to patients in every interaction. This approach creates a positive feedback loop that strengthens the entire care ecosystem.

In June 2025, HIC achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first medical center in Colombia and South America to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network. This partnership followed a rigorous evaluation of our clinical and administrative practices, quality indicators, safety protocols, and person-centered model. This collaboration gives our physicians access to advanced tools like AskMayoExpert and eBoards for case discussions with Mayo Clinic experts. We benefit from guidance in standardizing evidence-based protocols, comprehensive reviews of key clinical areas, and continuous education opportunities. Importantly, patients continue receiving care locally from HIC doctors but with Mayo’s support when needed—at no extra cost and without delays. This knowledge-sharing model enhances care by reassuring patients, boosting confidence in local teams, and preventing unnecessary transfers and expenses. Faced with today’s healthcare challenges—limited budgets, aging populations, costly technologies—many turn to purely technical fixes or financial cuts. Our experience demonstrates that the most effective path is returning to the essential: the ethics of care. Great changes begin with clear vision and sustain with discipline, but they endure only when serving others. We’ve proven that caring strengthens the entire healthcare system—making it more solid, reliable, and humane. The ethics of care isn’t just a moral principle but a strategy for achieving truly sustainable healthcare where humanization and efficiency multiply the value of care.