Diagnosis-Related Groups in Europe: Moving Towards Transparency, Efficiency and Quality in Hospitals

Diagnosis-related group systems were introduced throughout Europe for similar reasons: to increase transparency, and to improve efficiency and assure quality in hospitals. After more than a decade of experience with using diagnosis-related groups in Europe, it's time to consider whether their extensive use has contributed towards achieving these aims. This book summarizes the experiences with and developments in the diagnosis-related group systems in the 12 countries in the EuroDRG project (Austria, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden). Part One looks at the key issues of efficiency, quality, unintended effects and technological innovation, and Part Two provides clearly structured and detailed information about the most important system characteristics in each of the 12 participating countries. Both the overview of the key issues and the experience in countries will be useful for countries and regions that want to introduce, extend, or optimize their diagnosis-related group systems. The book is addressed to health policy-makers and researchers from Europe and beyond.