A new health care financing scheme to be introduced next year

“A new scheme, providing for the replacement of the so called 'Clinical Pathways' with Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) for financing of health care institutions will be introduced next year,” said Minister of Health Stefan Konstantinov in Pernik yesterday, where he opened the renovated children's section at the local hospital. According to him, the Clinical Pathways substantially distort the methods for setting up wages of the medical staff. These hold up the work of the physicians, and even hamper the patients’ appropriate treatment.

The new funding scheme will eliminate the current practice patients to be discharged from hospitals after the treatment of a specific disease and after one week to be accepted again for the treatment of another underlying disease. Funding of BGN 3 mln is allocated for the introduction of the DRGs, for the purchase of the respective know-how and software and for the needed training. The new way of hospital financing from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) provides for the databases of GPs, of hospitals, of the NHIF and of the Ministry of Health to be connected.

The planned change will not be introduced at once and will be preceded by a preparatory period. According to Stefan Konstantinov, the new funding scheme for hospitals will stop the outflow of nurses from the country because it is expected to provide better pay for health care services. "I want to boost the work of the national health care institutions" said the Minister of Health. Therefore, all people targeted for treatment abroad will be allowed to be treated at home. Professionals from abroad will be invited in the country, in order to teach our physicians to work in a team.

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