The implementation of casemix in Victoria--a clinician's view.
Although a number of concerns remain, casemix-based funding is seen by clinicians in Victoria to be a more equitable way of determining public hospital inpatient budgets than historical allocation, and will provide a valuable source of data for service provision planning. The concerns in particular are the inadequacy of the current Australian national diagnosis-related groups 2 system to classify modern clinical practice and describe complex patients; the absence of adequate baseline data to allow an accurate assessment of the impact of casemix-based funding on quality of care; the lack of direct recognition within diagnosis-related groups of the training, research and development roles of public hospitals; and the instability of a funding system which is in evolution.
University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine, Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, VIC.
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Phillips
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification* / Q000639:trends; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital; D005544:Forecasting; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000639:trends*; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D010820:Physicians; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends; D014739:Victoria