Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) systems were introduced in Europe to increase the transparency of services provided by hospitals and to incentivise greater efficiency in the use of resources invested in acute hospitals. In many countries, these systems were also designed to contribute to improving – or at least protecting – the quality of care. After more than a decade of experience with using DRGs in Europe, this book considers whether the extensive use of DRGs has contributed towards achieving these objectives. Written by authors with extensive experience of these systems, this book is a product of the EuroDRG project and constitutes an important resource for health policy-makers and researchers from Europe and beyond. The book is intended to contribute to the emergence of a ‘common language’ that will facilitate communication between researchers and policy-makers interested in improving the functioning and resourcing of the acute hospital sector. The book includes: A clearly structured introduction to the main ‘building blocks’ of DRG systems An overview of key issues related to DRGs including their impact on efficiency, quality, unintended effects and technological innovation in health care 12 country chapters - Austria, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden Clearly structured and detailed information about the most important DRG system characteristics in each of these countries Useful insights for countries and regions in Europe and beyond interested in introducing, extending and/ or optimising DRG systems within the hospital sector

Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) systems were introduced in Europe to increase the transparency of services provided by hospitals and to incentivise greater efficiency in the use of resources invested in acute hospitals. In many countries, these systems were also designed to contribute to improving ' or at least protecting ' the quality of care. After more than a decade of experience with using DRGs in Europe, this book considers whether the extensive use of DRGs has contributed towards achieving these objectives. [Ed.]

Because of the extension of DRG uses for research purposes in most European countries, they are de facto becoming a new standard for hospital comparisons. Why are Europeans so interested in DRGs? What are some benefits and shortcomings of this method? Can they be applied easily. How to control data quality? What are the present results for hospital management, medical decision making and quality of care? EFMI, the European Federation for Medical Informatics which groups scientific societies from 18 countries felt that it was getting time to hold a working conference on this topic. The present book gives an appropriate update for all those who need to know about changes in health care management.

When John Thompson and I first began talking about finding a way to measure and cost the output of hospitals in the 1960s. we really had no concept of the need for this kind of result. In fact. if we had listened to others in the health services research community. we would rrever have begun or persisted in the task. But it seemed important to us to begin to understand what up until then seemed unexplainable - the rather strange cost behavior of hospitals. We had the benefit of Professor Martin Feld stein's observation that case-mix was certainly an important factor. but we had literally no guidance on how to make some sense out of the very large number of illnesses that beset the human race. and the very large number of different processes that obtain in our hospitals as they attempt to cope with those illnesses. We were fortunate to find a small number of curious and capable graduate students to join us in this effort. for without them we would not have had a chance of success. While many contrib uted to the ultimate outcome. it is important to single out Ronald E. Mills. Richard F. Averill. Youngsoo Shin. and Jean L. Freeman for their efforts over many years. The diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) constitute a way of identifying the normal output of hospitals in a consistent and exhaustive manner.

A modern and contemporary approach to Management Accounting, this brand new textbook written specifically for courses in the UK and Europe provides an essential grounding for students studying both traditional and new Management Accounting techniques. Importantly, this complete text takes its readers beyond just the traditional accounting techniques, to place accounting information and the role of the Management Accountant in a broader organizational context. The text will provide a definitive education for tomorrow's "business-partner" Management Accountants and finance-literate business managers.

Public health has had positive results in the last two centuries when it comes to reducing the impact and prevalence of infectious disease.However, much remains to be done to reduce non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and cancer, which make up the major disease burden of the WHO European Region. This book takes a broad but detailed approach to public health in Europe and offers the most comprehensive analysis of this region currently available. It considers a huge range of key topics in public health and includes chapters on the following topics: Screening Health Promotion Tackling social determinants of health Health Impact Assessment The Public Health Workforce Public Health Research In addition to these topics and themes the authors consider the existing public health structures, capacities and services across a range of European countries; identifying what needs to be done to strengthen public health action and improve public health outcomes.Reflecting the broad geographical scope of the entire WHO European region this book uses examples from a diverse range of countries to illustrate different approaches to public health. This book is essential reading for anyone studying or working in the field of public health, especially those with an interest in European practice. This title is in the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies Series.

The book will focus on three key aspects of delivery of child health services: service integration and coordination, public health measures, and enhancing the quality of care for children. Taking a child-centric view on understanding how health services and systems work the book aims to contribute towards improving children’s health through deepening the understanding of children’s health services.Focusing primarily on the western European countries the book draws on research conducted with child health leaders in ten countries: Austria, Britain, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. The chapters include clinical scenarios designed to help identify and describe the various ways in which children and their families negotiate health services when dealing with twelve different conditions. Using clinical scenarios in this way allows the book authors to capture the diverse aspects of each health system as well as assessment and analysis of the challenges involved in each, and their successes and failures.