Using simulation to educate hospital staff about casemix

When the Australian government funded a casemix development program, few hospital clinicians or staff knew much about casemix classifications like Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). Although the concepts behind casemix are essentially simple, it is not a trivial task to explain the logic used to assign patients to classes, or the use of casemix data for management or funding. Therefore, as part of a project to create educational material, a computer-based management game, built around a simulation model of a hospital, was developed. The game was designed for use in a workshop setting, to allow participants to test their understanding of the casemix information presented to them. The simulation mimicked the operation of a hospital, with a player taking the role of a hospital manager. It aimed to demonstrate how AN-DRGs might be used for funding; how patient costs are influenced by hospital activity; and how casemix data can assist in monitoring the use of resources. The game, called Dragon, proved to be very successful, and is now distributed as part of the National Casemix Education series.