Training program -
MAJOR OPERATION
health care
What's News Issue 1 January 1998
Almost 50 health care professionals from offices all around the
world gathered in Holland in December for a dedicated global
conference and training program. The idea behind the four-day
event was to assist account managers both in developing their
industry proved an effective way to
transfer knowledge. Besides the
investment bankers, product support
specialists also covered a nuntber of areas
that could prove useful additions to the
relationship manager's little black bag.
Securitization, project finance,
acquisition finance, reversed factoring,
structured export finance and many other
presentations were designed specifically
to provide health-care professionals with
a broad-based tool-kit for creating
customer value.
market approach through shared experience and in building long
term relationship skills in this comparatively new, but rapidly
growing area of expertise within the bank. What's NewS dropped in
for a near-term prognosis and a longer-term examination of how
health care is writing its own prescriptions.
Far-reaching efforts to promote the
sharing of know-how has come to be
characteristic of how we attempt to
change national focus into a global
approach to our niche sectors. In that
respect, health care is no different from
F&A, especially now the teams around
the world are increasing in size and
expertise. A global conference which
enabled health care professionals to piek
the brains of colleagues from markets
where RI has already some status in the
SOLUTION ORGANIZER
While it may seem self-evident, the role of
our health care relationship managers and
other professionals, such as analysts,
requires both know-how of the sector
itself and insight into how specific
products can be applied to this very
sensitive industry. So what's new, you may'
well ask. Well, the answer lies in the fact
that relationship managers new style are
no longer credit-focused, but need the
skills more frequently associated with
solution organizer. This is why a special
training program has been devised to
build consultancy capabilities and to
incorporate product know-how into the
role of all-round financial advisor, not just
lender. The combination proves hugely
successful.
CARE INTERFACE
'Before we do anything, we do our
homework,' says Schulze. 'Before I go to
the country concerned we try to find as
much - preferably objective - background
information on how the health care
system works there. And from that we try.
to distill a crucial insight how different
parts of that system interface.' This does
not only mean obvious and distinct
players, such as pharmaceuticals,
ambulatory care, or primary care. 'Just
take hospitals,' Schulze continues. 'We
distinguish three sub-sectors here - the
public, the for-profit private and the not-
for-profit private. What you have to do is
look at the role of each in the total
provision of hospital care, how they are
paid and how they interface with, for
example, physicians' groups.'
ACCURATE INFORMATION
A good analogy is a 1,000 piece picture
puzzle. You put all the pieces on the table
and search out what fits, developing the
mosaic to see what you can and cannot
do. 'Often,' he says, 'you hear things tFiatg
prove to be incorrect. I remember being
told about France that we couldn't
finance the public sector. That proved
incorrect. So you have to be very careful
about verifications and validations -
This is the first time the majority of health care people got together. We hadn't realized they'd
grown, and grown, and... all together now: Back row: Paul NashNeil Spalding, Björn
GrossDavid McWilliam(lower), Arthur Arnold, Wim Verveda (lower), Michel van Schaik,
Rolf-Rainer Riedel (lower), Alex von Ungern-Sternberg, Peter Kodde, Nicolas Bazin, Marcus
Grubh, Teym Eliazov, Santiago Aranguren, Hans Wortelhoer, Maus Barendrecht, Hanneke
Schoorl. Third row: Adam Johnson, Chris de Vos, Peter de Bruin, Leendert Mastenbroek,
Patty Gout, Koh Ban Aik, Ton Gardeniers, Lincoln Holland, Bob Bucklin, Hanno Riedlin,
Hal Gerber (lower), Eduard van Voorst tot Voorst. Second row: Arnold Kuijpers, Jane
Rothwell, Terrell Boyle, David Thomas, Ellis Klerks, Lydia Crowson, Shawn Leiand, Bill
Baird, David Mamo, Dick Schulze (lower), Jorge Christoffanini, Pascal Wijnen (lower),
Johnson Eu. First row (sitting): Andrea Giordano, lan Reece, Otmar Plee, Oliver Wolter,
Luuk Hans, Chaidir Anwar Sani.
