Agora Tem Especialistas: how a hospital can join

The Agora Tem Especialistas program, created by Provisional Measure No. 1,301/2025 and already converted into permanent law by the National Congress, allows accredited private hospitals and clinics to treat patients from the SUS (Brazil’s public health system), with the cost borne by the federal government or deducted from health plan operators’ debts to the Ministry of Health. In 2026, the Ministry of Health made the program an absolute priority, with nationwide care drives and continuous expansion of the accredited network.

For private hospitals, joining the program means expanding their patient base and revenue predictability, but it also requires attention to specific accreditation and billing rules. This article explains how the program works, who can participate and what changes in the billing routine of a hospital that joins.

What Agora Tem Especialistas is

Agora Tem Especialistas is a Ministry of Health program created to reduce SUS waiting lists in high-demand specialties such as ophthalmology, orthopedics, cardiology, gynecology, oncology and otorhinolaryngology. It began as a Provisional Measure in 2025 and was approved by the National Congress, becoming a permanent law rather than a temporary measure.

The program brings together several fronts of action: delivery of specialized services by accredited private hospitals and clinics, an increase in the number of medical specialists through residency grants, care drives with mobile truck units, and the expansion of radiotherapy equipment across the country.

How private hospitals participate

Participation by private hospitals, clinics and other establishments is optional and depends on accreditation through a public call by the Ministry of Health. Ordinance No. 7,307/2025 details the selection criteria, taking into account the demand for procedures observed in each municipality and region.

The program provides two main financial compensation mechanisms: financial credit, which offsets the establishment’s tax debts to the federal government in exchange for providing services, and reimbursement to the SUS, aimed specifically at health plan operators, which can convert their reimbursement debts into direct care for SUS patients.

How the patient care flow works

The patient does not contract the hospital directly. The flow follows the organization of the SUS: the patient is seen at a primary care unit, the physician assesses the need for referral to a specialist, the request goes to the state or municipal referral center, and the patient is then referred to an accredited private facility according to clinical and priority criteria.

What changes in billing for a participating hospital

Services delivered under the program are certified by an electronic document, the Reimbursement Obligation Certificate (COR), which confirms the debt deduction only after the care has been fully completed. This means the hospital must document every stage of care with the same rigor required in conventional billing to payers, even when payment is not made directly in cash.

The payment model is based on closed care packages, defined by the Ministry of Health by type of procedure and region. This requires stricter cost control than traditional contracts with payers, since the hospital does not negotiate the price case by case.

Hospitals and health plans are already joining

Joining the program is already a reality, not just a proposal. Health plan operators such as Hapvida have already accredited hospitals in their own network to treat SUS patients for orthopedic surgeries, gallbladder procedures and imaging tests. Santas Casas (philanthropic hospitals) and maternity hospitals have also joined in different states, and the Ministry of Health reviews new expressions of interest on an ongoing basis.

Agora Tem Especialistas is a permanent program

Hospitals considering joining Agora Tem Especialistas should treat the program as an established line of care, with its own accreditation, payment and documentation rules, not as a temporary measure. Revenue predictability and the use of installed capacity are real advantages, but they depend on strict cost control within the care packages defined by the government.

Rivio is an artificial intelligence platform that helps hospitals maintain the documentation control required under different billing models, including public programs such as Agora Tem Especialistas, reducing the risk of denials or of the care delivered not being recognized.

Frequently asked questions about Agora Tem Especialistas

What is the Agora Tem Especialistas program?

It is a Ministry of Health program, now permanent law, that reduces SUS waiting lists through specialized services delivered by accredited private hospitals and clinics, among other fronts of action.

How can a private hospital join the program?

Through accreditation in a public call by the Ministry of Health, according to the criteria set by Ordinance No. 7,307/2025, which takes into account the demand for procedures in each region.

How is the hospital paid for treating SUS patients under this program?

Through financial credit, which offsets tax debts to the federal government, or, in the case of health plan operators, through reimbursement to the SUS, converting reimbursement debts into direct care.

Is the Agora Tem Especialistas program still in a testing phase?

No. The program is already up and running, with accredited hospitals and health plans treating patients in several states, and the Ministry of Health has made it an absolute priority for 2026.

What changes in the documentation of a hospital that provides care through the program?

Care is certified by an electronic document, the Reimbursement Obligation Certificate (COR), which only confirms the debt deduction after the care has been fully completed, requiring rigorous documentation at every stage.