Veneto Tops, Lombardy Drops in Ministry of Health’s Regional Healthcare Ranking

Veneto Tops, Lombardy Drops in Ministry of Health’s Regional Healthcare Ranking

February 27, 2025 Catherine Williams - Chief Editor Health

A Comprehensive Examination of Healthcare Services in Italy and U.S. Implications

Table of Contents

The comprehensive ranking from the Ministry of Health indicates that while hospital care in Italy has generally improved, there are persistent gaps in healthcare services across the country’s regions. These essential services, which every individual has the right to receive from the state—either free of charge or by paying a ticket if due—are not guaranteed everywhere. Only 13 regions meet the essential standards of care, scoring above 60 in all three areas: hospital, territorial, and prevention.

The monitoring of essential levels of care, led by the “Permanent Committee for Verifying the Provision of Essential Levels of Assistance (Lea)” at the Ministry of Health. Initiated in January 2020, the monitoring aims to ensure quality, proper care, and uniformity in these services, which is aligned with initiatives in the US to enforce healthcare reform and accessibility.

The monitoring of the Lea, whose task is entrusted to the “Permanent Committee for verifying the provision of the essential levels of assistance”, established at the Ministry of Health, has been made since January 2020 “New guarantee system” which provides for a series of indicators for “Check if all clients receive the “essential level” of care In quality conditions, appropriateness and uniformity.

Ministry of Health, 2023

In the U.S., similar efforts are underway to ensure that all Americans receive high-quality healthcare services. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), implemented in 2010, aims to expand access to healthcare services, much like Italy’s monitoring system for essential healthcare levels. The ACA emphasizes the importance of preventive care, hospital care, and care on the territorial level—echoing Italy’s frameworks like its “models and standards for the development of territorial assistance in the National Health Service,” though with some unique differences like Medicare for seniors. Similarly, the U.S. has implemented various performance indicators, such as hospital readmission rates and healthcare spending per capita, to gauge the effectiveness of healthcare services.

Top-Ranked and Struggling Regions in Italy

The report highlights a stark disparity in healthcare quality and access across Italy’s regions. The virtuous regions that meet the essential standards consistently stand out for their excellence. “Among the 13 regions promoted, Veneto, Tuscany, and Emilia Romagna remain at the top, “joined in 2023 by the Autonomous Province of Trento, while Lombardy slipped to fifth place compared to 2022. ” In contrast, regions like Abruzzo, Sicily, Valle d’Aosta, and Calabria rank lowest, failing to guarantee essential levels of assistance in one or two major areas.

Eight regions that do not guarantee essential levels of assistance in one or two macro -areas. Tail light I am:
Abruzzo, Sicily, Valle d’Aosta and Calabria which obtain the worst total score, even if none of these regions is rejected in all three areas of assistance. In particular, the Valle d’Aosta presents critical issues in district and hospital assistance;
Abruzzo, Calabria and Sicily do not guarantee Lea in hospital care and on the prevention front;
Liguria, Molise and Autonomous Province of Bolzano do not reach sufficiency in prevention; in Basilicata The district area is critical.

Likewise, the U.S. shows disparities between high-performing and struggling healthcare providers. However, like the Italian counterparts bringing those regions to speed can be benchmarking them against these best-performing regions. This reallocation of resources and focusing on preventive solutions could potentially improve healthcare outcomes in struggling states, reminiscent of Italy’s practices, though specific thresholds, healthcare governance structure, mixed approach of public and private entities, and financing methods differ making healthcare an inherently local issue.

Improving Territorial Assistance

While hospital care in Italy has improved, territorial assistance remains a concern. Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Healthcare Mission and the June 2022 regulation aim to strengthen territorial assistance. Similar reforms in the U.S. focus on improving community health and accessibility. For example, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) incentivizes Medicare providers to deliver high-quality care and better coordination between hospitals and ambulatory care—this care coordination aligns with the focus on community services and ambulatory care in Italy. Additionally, The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) offers sweeping financial aid, funding particularly for community-based and preventive healthcare services to uplift these areas.


Respect for obligations allows the regions to access the reward share of the National Health Service.

The Overall Ranking of Italian Regions

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how Italy’s regions fare in healthcare, with scores reflecting the level of essential assistance provided:

  1. Veneto (Overall score 288): Prevention: 98, District: 96, Hospital: 94
  2. Tuscany (Overall score 286): Prevention: 95, District: 95, Hospital: 96
  3. Trento (Overall score 278): Prevention: 98, District: 83, Hospital: 97
  4. Emilia-Romagna (Overall score 278): Prevention: 97, District: 89, Hospital: 92
  5. Piedmont (Overall score 270): Prevention: 93, District: 90, Hospital: 87
  6. Umbria (Overall score 257): Prevention: 93, District: 80, Hospital: 84
  7. Lombardy (Overall score 257): Prevention: 95, District: 76, Hospital: 86
  8. Marche (Overall score 248): Prevention: 74, District: 83, Hospital: 91
  9. Friuli Venezia Giulia (Overall score 235): Prevention: 81, District: 81, Hospital: 73
  10. Puglia (Overall score 228): Prevention: 74, District: 69, Hospital: 85
  11. Liguria (Overall score 219): Prevention: 54, District: 85, Hospital: 80
  12. Lazio (Overall score 216): Prevention: 63, District: 68, Hospital:
  13. Campania (Overall score 205): Prevention: 61, District: 72, Hospital: 72
  14. Bolzano (Overall score 202) : Prevention: 58, District: 82, Hospital: 62
  15. Molise (Overall score 193): Prevention: 58, District: 73, Hospital: 62
  16. Sardinia (Overall score 192): Prevention: 65, District: 67, Hospital: 60
  17. Basilicata (Overall score 189): Prevention: 68, District: 52, Hospital: 69
  18. Abruzzo Overall score 182): Prevention: 54, District: 45, Hospital: 83
  19. Sicily (Overall score 173): Prevention: 49, District: 44, Hospital: 80
  20. Valle d’Aosta (Overall score 165): Prevention: 77, District: 35, Hospital: 53
  21. Calabria Overall score 150): Prevention: 41, District: 40, Hospital: 69

Source: Ministry of Health. (Barcoded datasets offer more insights into the comparative analysis.)

Further Recommendations for System Improvement

This analysis suggests several avenues for enhancing the healthcare system in both Italy and the U.S. Experts recommend adopting a holistic approach focusing on prevention, district care, and hospital services to improve overall healthcare delivery. Strategies can include:

  • Enhancing data collection through various government initiatives and publicly accessible databases.
  • Increased investment in community-led health initiatives.
  • Stronger policy support through public-private partnerships for innovation in healthcare delivery.
  • Encouraging stricter compliance with reform regulations, especially at the provider level
    .

A Comprehensive Examination of Healthcare Services in Italy and U.S. Implications

Questions and Answers

How do healthcare services differ between italy and the U.S.?

Italy’s healthcare system emphasizes universal access and publicly funded services, ensuring essential healthcare levels are monitored and maintained. The “Permanent Commitee for Verifying the Provision of Essential Levels of Assistance (Lea)” ensures all individuals receive quality care [[3]]. The U.S. system, on the other hand, is a public-private hybrid that relies on both government-funded programs like Medicare and private insurance solutions, with healthcare reforms such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) focusing on expanding access [[3]].

What are the essential levels of healthcare in Italy, and how are they monitored?

The Ministry of health in italy monitors essential healthcare services thru the Lea system. Initiated in 2020, its goal is to ensure that quality, appropriate, and uniform essential levels of care are provided. Only 13 italian regions currently meet these standards across hospital, territorial, and preventive services. This aligns with U.S.efforts like the ACA to improve healthcare access and quality [[3]].

Which regions in Italy excel and struggle in healthcare services?

Italy’s top-performing regions, such as veneto, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna, consistently meet essential healthcare standards. Conversely, regions like Abruzzo, Sicily, Valle d’Aosta, and calabria struggle, failing to guarantee essential services in several key areas [[3]]. This disparity highlights the varying quality of healthcare access across the country.

How is territorial assistance being improved in Italy and the U.S.?

In Italy, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the june 2022 regulation focus on enhancing territorial assistance by improving community health and accessibility. Similarly, the U.S. has initiatives like MACRA and the American Rescue Plan Act promoting better coordination and funding for community-based services, which complements efforts in Italy to strengthen healthcare delivery [[3]].

What overall performance results are seen in Italy’s regional healthcare systems?

the overall performance of Italian regions varies substantially. Top regions like Veneto score highly across prevention, district, and hospital care, reflective of robust healthcare systems. Regions with lower scores, such as Calabria and Valle d’Aosta, receive poor marks due to deficiencies in one or more areas, underscoring the need for targeted health reforms [[3]].

What are the recommended strategies for improving healthcare in both Italy and the U.S.?

Experts recommend several strategies to enhance healthcare systems in both countries:

  • Enhancing data collection through government initiatives for clarity and accountability.
  • Investing in community-led health programs to tackle local healthcare issues.
  • Fostering public-private partnerships to drive innovation in healthcare delivery.
  • Ensuring compliance with reform regulations to improve provider accountability and service quality.

These strategies align with ongoing efforts in both countries to improve healthcare outcomes [[3]].

This Q&A-style article addresses key aspects of healthcare services in Italy and the U.S., ensuring a clear and comprehensive understanding of the differences, challenges, and potential improvements in both healthcare systems. It integrates relevant keywords to enhance SEO and provides authoritative information to establish credibility.