RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Diagnosis-related group (DRG)-based hospital payment systems have gradually become the principal means of reimbursing hospitals in many European countries. Owing to the absence or inaccuracy of costs related to DRGs, these countries have started to routinely collect cost accounting data. The aim of the present article was to compare the cost accounting systems of 12 European countries. METHODS: A standardized questionnaire was developed to guide comprehensive cost accounting system descriptions for each of the 12 participating countries. RESULTS: The cost accounting systems of European countries vary widely by the share of hospital costs reimbursed through DRG payment, the presence of mandatory cost accounting and/or costing guidelines, the share of cost collecting hospitals, costing methods and data checks on reported cost data. Each of these aspects entails a trade-off between accuracy of the cost data and feasibility constraints. CONCLUSION: Although a 'best' cost accounting system does not exist, our cross-country comparison gives insight into international differences and may help regulatory authorities and hospital managers to identify and improve areas of weakness in their cost accounting systems. Moreover, it may help health policymakers to underpin the development of a cost accounting system.
Assuntos
Grupos Diagnósticos Relacionados/economia , Economia Hospitalar/estatística & dados numéricos , Europa (Continente) , Humanos , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore in a specific hospital care process the applicability in practice of the theories of quality costing and value chains. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In a retrospective case study an in-depth evaluation of the use of a quality cost model (QCM) and the applicability of Porter's care delivery value chain (CDVC) was performed in a specific care process: glaucoma care over the period 2001 to 2006 in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital in The Netherlands. FINDINGS: The case study shows a reduction of costs per product by increasing the number of outpatient visits and surgery combined with a higher patient satisfaction. Reduction of costs of non-compliance by using the QCM is small, due to the absence of (external) financial incentives for both the hospital and individual physicians. For CDVC to be supportive to an integrated quality and cost management the notion "patient value" needs far more specification as mutually agreed on by the stakeholders involved and related reimbursement needs to depend on realised outcomes. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The case study just focused on one specific care process in one hospital. To determine effects in other areas of health care, it is important to study the use and applicability of the QCM and the CDVC in other care processes and settings. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: QCM and a CDVC can be useful tools for hospital management to manage the outcomes on both quality and costs, but impact is dependent on the incentives in the context of the existing organisational and reimbursement system and asks for an agreed on operationalisation among the various stakeholders of the notion of patient value.
Assuntos
Atenção à Saúde/organização & administração , Glaucoma/terapia , Estudos de Casos Organizacionais , Satisfação do Paciente , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde/organização & administração , Custos e Análise de Custo , Coleta de Dados , Atenção à Saúde/economia , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/organização & administração , Necessidades e Demandas de Serviços de Saúde/organização & administração , Humanos , Países Baixos , Avaliação de Processos em Cuidados de Saúde/organização & administração , Indicadores de Qualidade em Assistência à Saúde/organização & administração , Qualidade da Assistência à Saúde/economia , Reembolso de Incentivo , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
PURPOSE: To determine the effect of introducing radiographer double reading, in addition to standard radiologist double reading, on screening mammography outcome. METHODS: In period A, 66,225 mammograms were read by two screening radiologists. In period B, 78,325 mammograms were read by two radiographers in addition and radiologists were blinded to the referral opinion of the radiographers. Mammograms, for which only radiographers had suggested referral, (i.e. cases that would only be referred by technologists) were re-evaluated by the screening radiologists. Women were referred if at least one radiologist considered this necessary, and diagnostic costs of these additional referrals were estimated. RESULTS: In period A, 322 cancers were diagnosed after referral of 678 women. During period B, radiologists initially referred 1122 patients and 411 cancers were detected. Radiologists' referral rate was higher in period B than in period A (1.43% versus 1.02%, p<0.001), as well as the cancer detection rate per 1000 women screened (CDR) (5.25 versus 4.86, p=0.3). The positive predictive value of referral (PPV) was 36.6% versus 47.5% (p<0.001). In period B, radiologist review of 544 additional positive radiographer readings led to 102 extra referrals, with 29 additional cancers detected, resulting in an overall referral rate of 1.56% (compared to period A, p<0.001), an overall CDR of 5.62 (p=0.048) and an overall PPV of 35.9% (p<0.001). Workup expenses of the 102 additional referrals were euro60,274. CONCLUSION: Additional radiographer double reading detected cancers that would have been missed by radiologists. Mean expenses for diagnostic confirmation of these extra cancers was euro2078 per cancer.
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Neoplasias da Mama/diagnóstico por imagem , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/diagnóstico por imagem , Mamografia/métodos , Programas de Rastreamento/métodos , Idoso , Neoplasias da Mama/economia , Neoplasias da Mama/prevenção & controle , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/economia , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/prevenção & controle , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Consenso , Custos e Análise de Custo , Erros de Diagnóstico/prevenção & controle , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Mamografia/economia , Mamografia/normas , Programas de Rastreamento/economia , Programas de Rastreamento/normas , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Países Baixos , Variações Dependentes do Observador , Prognóstico , Encaminhamento e Consulta/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
We prospectively assessed trends in utilization and costs of diagnostic services of screen-positive women in a biennial breast cancer screening program for women aged 50-75 years. All 2,062 women with suspicious findings at screening mammography in the southern region of the Netherlands between 1 January 2000 and 1 July 2005 (158,997 screens) were included. Data were collected on any diagnostic examinations, interventional procedures, and surgical consultations with two-year follow-up. We used national reimbursement rates to estimate imaging costs and percutaneous biopsy costs. Cost prices, charged by hospitals, were used to estimate open surgical biopsy costs and surgical consultation costs. The largest increase in utilization of diagnostic procedures per 100 referrals was observed for axillary ultrasound (from 3.9 in 2000 to 33.5 in 2005) and for stereotactic core biopsy (from 2.1 in 2000 to 26.8 in 2005). Per 100 referrals, the open surgical biopsy rate decreased from 34.7 (2000) to 4.6 (2005) and the number of outpatient surgical consultations fluctuated between 269.8 (2000) and 309.7 (2004). Mean costs for the diagnosis of one cancer were Euro1,501 and ranged from Euro1,223 (2002) to Euro1,647 (2003). Surgical biopsies comprised 54.1% of total diagnostic costs for women screened in 2000, but decreased to 9.9% for women screened in 2005. Imaging costs increased from 23.7 to 43.8%, percutaneous biopsy costs from 9.9 to 27.2%, and consultation costs from 12.3 to 19.1%. We conclude that diagnostic costs per screen-detected cancer remained fairly stable through the years, although huge changes in the use of different diagnostic procedures were observed.
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Biópsia por Agulha/economia , Biópsia por Agulha/estatística & dados numéricos , Neoplasias da Mama/diagnóstico , Neoplasias da Mama/economia , Custos de Cuidados de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Mamografia/economia , Mamografia/estatística & dados numéricos , Idoso , Neoplasias da Mama/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Programas de Rastreamento/economia , Programas de Rastreamento/estatística & dados numéricos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Países Baixos/epidemiologia , PrevalênciaRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) systems aim to classify patients into mutually exclusive groups of patients, with the patients in each group having the same expected length of stay (LOS). We examined the ability of current classification variables to explain LOS variation between DRG-like Diagnosis Treatment Combination (DBC)s for ten episodes of care in the Netherlands, including breast cancer, stroke and inguinal hernia repair. Additionally, we assessed the predictive ability of some other classification variables. METHODS: For each episode of care, the relevant DBC codes of all hospitalizations in 2008 were identified and all available determinants that may serve as classification variables were acquired from the national database. Ordinary least squares regression was used to examine the predictive ability of these classification variables. RESULTS: The current classification variables are not sufficiently distinct to classify patients into mutually exclusive groups of patients. ICU admissions and hospital type may serve as valuable classification variables. Additionally, episode-specific variables may improve the Dutch grouping algorithm. CONCLUSIONS: Although it may not be feasible in the short term, grouping algorithms would benefit greatly from the introduction of classification variables tailored to the needs of specific episodes of care. A first step would be to focus on 'general' classification variables meaningful for specific episodes of care.
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Grupos Diagnósticos Relacionados/economia , Cuidado Periódico , Tempo de Internação/economia , Modelos Econômicos , Fatores Etários , Algoritmos , Neoplasias da Mama/economia , Neoplasias da Mama/terapia , Eficiência Organizacional , Hérnia Inguinal/economia , Hérnia Inguinal/cirurgia , Humanos , Países Baixos , Análise de Regressão , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/economia , Acidente Vascular Cerebral/terapiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: In the Sophia Children's Hospital, both a ward stock system and a decentralized, patient-orientated, ready-to-use drug distribution system (a 'satellite pharmacy system') exist. Hospital management considered expanding the concept of the satellite pharmacies. Little was known, however, about the efficiency of this drug distribution system, whereas there is increasing pressure to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of pharmacy services. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficiency of satellite pharmacies compared with other medication distribution systems. METHODS: All medication orders and prepared doses were counted. The workload of the two current distribution systems was calculated using the direct time study method. Furthermore, the consequences of altering the distribution system were calculated by formulating nine variants in which certain activities surrounding the medication distribution were moved between nurses and pharmacy technicians. Moreover, we varied the degree of computerization of the medication order registration. RESULTS: The required working hours are the largest in the variants in which nurses do the preparation of the drugs. Moving the distribution of some drug categories, such as ready-to-use drugs, prepared oral drugs, and prepared inhalation drugs, from pharmacy technicians to nurses appeared not to produce noticeable benefits compared with the current distribution system. Expanding the concept of the satellite pharmacies involves a small rise in total working hours compared with the current situation, but does not raise personnel costs. The largest cost savings can be achieved by introducing an on-line computerized physician order-entry system. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of satellite pharmacies offers an efficient distribution system for the Sophia Children's Hospital.