Almost 100 thousand people in one year. There are 99,898 patients from other regions admitted to Lombardy’s acute-care hospitals for standard inpatient treatment, compared with 46,120 Lombard residents treated outside the region. Across Italy, out-of-region hospitalizations totaled 691,640, and their share rose from 7.2% in 2004 to 8.6%.
In response to these figures, CasAmica ODV presents Project 3,000: the new Casa di Segrate, adjacent to the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, with 75 beds, an outpatient clinic, and a rehabilitation space. Opening is planned by 2027.
Lombardy: Italy’s Leading Health Care Hub
The landscape of health-care migration was at the center of the recent meeting “A New Model of Socio-Health Reception – Project 3,000,” promoted in the past few days by CasAmica ODV with the Lombardy Region at the Belvedere of Palazzo Lombardia. Moderated by Rosaria Renna of Radio Monte Carlo, the event opened with remarks from regional vice president Marco Alparone. Undersecretary Mauro Piazza also spoke.
Federica Morandi, associate professor at the Faculty of Economics and director of academic programs and research at ALTEMS – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and president of the European Health Management Association, presented the data. Hospitalizations of patients arriving from outside exceeded those of Lombardy residents treated elsewhere by 53,778 cases in acute care under the standard regime.
In 2023 the region accrued 1.12 billion euros in credits for care provided to patients from other areas of the country, against 476 million in debts, with an active balance of 645.8 million. Lombardy accounts for 23.2% of all Italian active mobility, which reached 5.15 billion. 71.1% of Lombardy’s attraction goes through accredited private facilities, compared with 54.5% of the national average.
The Hidden Cost for Patients and Caregivers
Behind the flows between Regions there is a cost that statistics do not record. ALTEMS’ analyses of patients with rare diseases indicate an average distance of 185 km between home and treatment center. Those who must stay overnight spend about 9 days per year away from home, with an average lodging cost of 134 euros per night. Caregivers lose on average 43.7 workdays per year, equivalent to about 3,650 euros in lost productivity.
According to the EMG Different survey for CasAmica among residents of the South and the Islands, the primary difficulties for those who sought treatment outside their region are travel costs (60%) and lodging (59%); 58% would have needed free or subsidized accommodation. Milan is the destination for one in four health migrants.
In 2025 CasAmica’s six housing facilities in Milan, Lecco, and Rome welcomed nearly 6,000 people, including patients and companions, for a total of 40,500 nights of hospitality.
Project 3,000: The New Casa di Segrate
The new facility rises in Segrate, near the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele. It will be the largest among CasAmica’s homes: 75 beds, two micro-apartments, a floor dedicated to children and their families, an auditorium, and a garden. Construction, which began in May 2025, is in the installations and cladding phase. Completion is planned for early 2027 and opening by 2027.
«According to available data, almost 100,000 patients from other regions were admitted to Lombardy hospitals, more than 53,000 more than Lombards who sought care elsewhere: Lombardy is the country’s leading health-care attraction hub, and behind each of these admissions there is often a family that must find a place to stay,” said Stefano Gastaldi, Director of Institutional Relations and Strategic Projects at CasAmica ODV. “For this reason Segrate will not be just a bigger house, but a different way of standing by those who travel to Milan for treatment. Those arriving in Milan for cancer therapy or a transplant do not only need a bed, but an outpatient clinic where they can receive care without returning to the ward each time and a community that does not leave them alone. The Segrate model rests on three alliances: with hospitals, with the territory, and with other Third Sector organizations».
A “House That Cares” Networked with Hospitals and the Local Community
The new CasAmica will include an outpatient facility and a rehabilitation space. Protocols of understanding with healthcare facilities are being finalized, starting with the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, to allow guests to receive home health care and outpatient services directly at the House, reducing trips to the hospital.
Some services will also be open to Segrate residents. Agreements are also being defined with Telethon Foundation, Prometeo, and Oxiamo Foundation to welcome people cared for by these organizations.
Attending the meeting were Paola Serafin, a member of the board and head of admissions at Prometeo, and Stefano Tronconi, president of the Oxiamo Foundation. Paola Martinoni, a surgeon and founder of Libellule Insieme Foundation, outlined preventive services dedicated to the mothers of CasAmica’s hosted children.
Hospitality and the Care Pathway
“In forty years we have welcomed over 150,000 people, and we have learned that hospitality is part of the care pathway,” said Marinella Vedani, vice president of CasAmica ODV. The data from the meeting confirm this: hospitalization is covered by the health system, but travel, lodging, and lost workdays remain on families’ shoulders. The Third Sector can do a lot, but the solution must be a partnership among institutions, hospitals, and non-profit organizations.
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