The freedom to pick a destination stands out as a core benefit for Madrid residents, a choice that translates into notably shorter waits for both surgeries and outpatient visits. This trend is underscored by the latest study from the Madrid Community Hospital System Monitor, a report produced by the health economics outlet Planta Doce.
For more than ten years, Madrid has enabled patients to select either hospitals or preferred specialists, a practice that has helped ease congestion on waiting lists and elevate patient satisfaction. The study shows that between 2015 and 2020, the option of free choice prompted about 781,500 hospital transfers. Citizens gained the ability to rely on their favored healthcare providers, a dynamic that also reflects trust in doctors and clinical teams and the services they offer.
While Spain grants a right to choose a doctor in both Primary and Specialized Care, the speed at which communities publish data to support a potential change varies. In Madrid, the process is particularly transparent: patients can review available appointment dates and times on the regional website when selecting a new center. The site also lists the services offered, the specialties available, waiting lists for external consultations, surgical procedures, and diagnostic tests, and includes indicators of patient satisfaction. This breadth of information is highly valued because it empowers individuals to identify the specialist or center that best aligns with their needs and timing.
The transparency surrounding these options has helped Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital emerge as one of the most frequented centers in Madrid among a group of eight highly complex facilities in the region. The five-year period studied saw a positive flow of 279,884 patients, generating 312,400 inputs and 32,516 outputs. This activity represents about 77 percent of free-choice referrals and highlights Madrid’s preference for indirectly managed hospitals as a mechanism to reduce waiting lists for directly managed institutions.