title: DRGs as a basis for prospective payment.
abstract: Hospital care in Europe has for a number of years been changing towards prospective payment systems. The mechanisms of implementing PPS varies between countries and between health care systems. In the United States prospective payment for hospital care under Medicare was jointly introduced with DRGs being the basis for payment. The combined power of both techniques seems to surpass significantly the individual power of independent applications of PPS and DRGs. The DRG classification system is now the subject of experimentation and research in approximately 16 European countries. The prospects for case-mix measurement and prospective payment in Ireland are discussed in more detail.
mesh_terms: D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D007494:Ireland; D011445:Prospective Payment System / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States