title: Global payment for health services as a solution in the financial crisis in Europe.
abstract: In these financial difficult years many European governments used global ceilings to control costs of health services. Two scenarios are thinkable. The first is that all individual providers get a budget for their own costs: general practitioners, specialists, hospitals, nursing homes and mental health institutes. The second scenario is to work with global budgets for health care providers servicing a total population. Scientists and policy makers in Europe, North America and Asia need time to design new payment systems based on the idea of global budgeting, bundled payment and shared savings.
authors.affiliation: Julius Centre for Patient Oriented Research, The University Medical Centre Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Guus
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schrijvers
keywords: Integrated Care; bundled payment; cost control; financial crisis; financing; health services; payment systems