Health Management Excellence Award | EHMA 2025 Annual Conference

HEALTH MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD by EHMA

OVERVIEW

Healthcare systems across Europe are undergoing profound transformations, requiring innovative approaches at both institutional and systemic levels to enhance efficiency, service provision and long-term sustainability. Recognising the importance of structured reform, the European Health Management Association (EHMA) is introducing the Health Management Excellence Award with the aim of recognising exemplary interventions that contribute to more proficient health management.

This initiative aims to recognise outstanding facility-level interventions, which optimise operations within hospitals, clinics, and healthcare centres, as well as system-wide reforms, which shape the macro-governance and integration of healthcare services. By showcasing effective models, EHMA aims at supporting the adoption of impactful strategies across diverse healthcare contexts.

STRUCTURE

We welcome submissions across two distinct domains, each addressing a specific scale of transformation. The focus areas outlined below are indicative rather than exhaustive, providing examples of central areas where effective interventions may be demonstrated.

HEALTHCARE FACILITY-LEVEL

HEALTH SYSTEM-LEVEL

This category acknowledges initiatives, interventions or policies, that advance operational processes, resource allocation and technological implementation within healthcare institutions. Submission may address:

Optimising interdepartmental connectivity: Implementation of integrated hospital information systems, interoperable electronic health records and AI-driven clinical decision-support tools to enhance communication and coordination across specialities.
Workforce strengthening in high-intensity departments: Workforce reorganisation models, task-shifting strategies and automated triage systems in emergency medicine, intensive care and oncology units to alleviate strain and improve patient throughput.
Mitigating bottlenecks in patient flow: Redesigning patient flow algorithms, integrating lean management principles and applying predictive analytics to reduce wait times and improve access to critical care services.
Advancing digital transformation: Adoption of telehealth, remote patient monitoring and robotic-assisted procedures to expand service capacity, reduce hospital-acquired complications and improve clinical outcomes.
Reengineering clinical and administrative processes workflows: Business process reengineering in surgical theatres, automation of procurement and inventory management, and restructuring of multidisciplinary team coordination to boost efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

This category encompasses macro- and meso-scale policy, governance and strategic reforms that systemically amplify the structure, financing and service integration of healthcare systems. Notable examples comprise:

Transitioning towards preventive care models: Implementation of risk stratification frameworks, population health analytics and financial incentives for preventive interventions to shift the focus from reactive to proactive health management.
Embedding patient-centred care principles: Expansion of person-centred financing models (e.g. bundled payments, value-based contracting), participatory care models, and co-created health policies to align service provision with community needs and epidemiological trends.
Building cross-sector healthcare networks: Establishing health and social care consortia, developing integrated care pathways across primary, secondary and tertiary services and leveraging digital interoperability to guarantee continuity of care.
Strengthening primary care: Reallocation of resources towards primary care expansion, multidisciplinary workforce development and regionalisation of care coordination to improve access, cost-effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
Applying One Health approaches: Policy frameworks integrating human, animal and environmental health monitoring, antimicrobial resistance control strategies and inter-agency collaboration mechanisms for pandemic preparedness and environmental health risk mitigation.

SUBMISSIONS CRITERIA

Submissions shall be made exclusively via the online application form available at this link: Health Management Excellence Award application form.

The form must be thoroughly completed in all its parts. Applications that do not reflect the submission guidelines will be disregarded. To help you prepare your submission, please find here the Application form template.

The deadline for submission is 9 May at 17.00 CEST.

EVALUATION PROCESS

The evaluation of submitted interventions will follow a two-phase process.

Phase I – Shortlisting

The Evaluation Committee, composed of experienced professionals in the practicing and teaching of health management, will conduct an initial assessment and select the most interesting interventions for presentation during the European Health Management Conference. The shortlisting will be conducted based on the evaluation criteria mentioned below.

Phase II – Conference presentation

Shortlisted applicants shall present their interventions in a dedicated session during the European Health Management Conference 2025.

Each shortlisted applicant will deliver a concise 10-minute presentation articulating the fundamental aspects of their initiative. These presentations should offer a precise exposition, addressing the following dimensions:

Problem Identification and Contextual Relevance: A brief explanation of the specific healthcare challenge addressed.
Intervention Design and Implementation: A summary of the strategies, processes, or technologies deployed.
Outcomes and Impact: A demonstration of tangible benefits, including improvements in clinical efficiency, patient experience, or cost-effectiveness.
Scalability and Sustainability Considerations: An exploration of the feasibility of broader adoption within other institutions or health systems.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with the Evaluation Committee. The presentation is an integral part of the assessment. Submissions that are not presented at the EHMA Conference will be disregarded.

Winners will be awarded during the Closing Ceremony of the European Health Management Conference taking place on Friday, 6 June at 16.00-17.00.

EVALUATION DIMENSIONS

The final assessment process has been standardised to ensure impartiality, consistency and transparency, reflecting EHMA’s ongoing commitment to fair and equitable evaluation standards. Thereby, the submission attaining the highest overall score in each domain will be awarded as the most distinguished contribution to transformative healthcare advancement.

Submissions will be evaluated against five core dimensions:

Evaluation Criteria	Weight (%)	Description
Impact	35%	The extent to which the intervention demonstrates tangible benefits in terms of health outcomes, service efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Sustainability	25%	The long-term viability of the intervention, considering cost-effectiveness, workforce adaptability, institutional commitment and ecological considerations.
Replicability	15%	The ease with which the intervention can be implemented by other institutions or health systems with minimal adaptation.
Scalability	15%	The potential for adaptation and expansion within diverse healthcare contexts.
Innovation	10%	The introduction of novel methodologies, digital advancements, or policy frameworks that substantially enhance existing healthcare practices.

AWARD

The organisation or entity with the awarded intervention will be recognised with a 20% discount applicable to all members of the organisation/entity for the participation in the European Health Management Conference 2026.

Additionally, the organisation or entity with the awarded intervention will be invited to record a podcast as part of the EHMA podcast series ‘Health management voices’ and to have their intervention’s description published on the EHMA website and newsletter.