HealthManagement, Volume 11 - Issue 3, 2011
"Reform of Financing Secondary Healthcare in Bosnia and Herzegovina" is a project to enhance the efficiency of healthcare services in Bosnia and Herzegovina by implementing a system of provider payments that would create incentives for cost containment and improve provider performance. It is funded by the European Union, represented by the European Commission, Directorate General EuropeAid Development and Cooperation, and the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) on behalf of and for the account of Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance. Project partners are Karol Consulting, Zagreb, Croatia, and Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Zagreb, Croatia.
The project's aims are to develop an approach towards a Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) hospital reimbursement system, draft a national DRG pricing and contracting methodology for inpatient care, pilot the data collection process, train staff and implement the system in all hospitals. The project will strongly support the long-term reform and sustainability of healthcare services in Bosnia and Herzegovina by facilitating cost containment and, ultimately, contributing towards improved provider performance.
The new reimbursement method, based on outcomes, will provide information on costefficiency in the hospital sector. The DRG system will be applied at the level of secondary and tertiary healthcare and then extended to the entire hospital sector, using existing local resources trained under this project.
"Introducing the DRG system will strongly support the ongoing reform of health systems in Bosnia & Herzegovina. empirica, together with its partners Karol Consulting and Ericsson Nikola Tesla, is proud to be part of this significant endeavour," noted Dr. Rainer Thiel of empirica. The implementation of the new DRG system and the incentives that come with it are expected to lead to a more effective healthcare system and cost-efficient spending of resources.
