New HCHE research paper compares DRG reforms in 10 OECD countries

30 September 2022, by Andrea Bükow

Many OECD member countries are looking for new ways to pay hospitals for inpatient services. The DRG system that has prevailed to date is being put to the test. Countries are currently experimenting with new forms of payment, from which four reform trends can be derived. They show a shift away from activity and efficiency toward a set of diversified goals and reflect efforts to curb health care spending while improving the quality of care. Where evaluations are already available, they indicate mixed to positive results.

HCHE Research Paper No. 28: Activity-based funding based on diagnosis-related groups. The end of an era? A review of payment reforms in the inpatient sector in ten high-income countries. Ricarda Milstein, Jonas Schreyögg, September 2022