title: Paying for the quantity and quality of hospital care: the foundations and evolution of payment policy in England.
abstract: Prospective payment arrangements are now the main form of hospital funding in most developed countries. An essential component of such arrangements is the classification system used to differentiate patients according to their expected resource requirements. In this article we describe the evolution and structure of Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs) in England and the way in which costs are calculated for patients allocated to each HRG. We then describe how payments are made, how policy has evolved to incentivise improvements in quality, and how prospective payment is being applied outside hospital settings.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK, katja.grasic@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grašič
authors.forename: Anne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Street