[What consequences will have the introduction of German Diagnosis Related Groups (G-DRGs) in surgical departments?]

With the planned introduction of Diagnosis related groups (DRG) in the German in-patient reimbursement system an economic brake will be put on the hospitals. The upcoming expected growth of the older German population and the ongoing process of better diagnostic and therapeutic procedures leads to a gap between costs and resources in the established health care system. With the introduction of the DRGs starts a process of one payment for one main diagnosis in hospital care. This requires a better resource control and leads to a tightrope walk between medical and economic aspects. The short time consequences result in great efforts of correct coding of diagnoses and procedures, as a survival strategy for surgical departments. More or less are new structures necessary, the development of "clinical pathways" and the increase or decrease of capacities will become the main tasks in the next years.