[Management of hospitals in the prospective payment system]

Since last year a prospective payment system, the so-called "diagnosis procedure combination" system has been implemented at 82 hospitals, and this fiscal year national universities and national hospitals became independent agencies. Furthermore, a new postgraduate training and education system started this year. Now it is time for hospitals to transform into institutions that are opted for by health professionals, patients, and medical students. Every hospital has to transform into a hospital that provides safe health care with a minimal number of medical errors and delivers care with a degree of information, transparency and logicality that will fully satisfy patients. That care must also be distinguished by efficiency giving proper consideration to costs. For this purpose, all hospital staff including physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, dietitians, and clerical staff have to pursue health care as a team. In a comprehensive health care system, practice of team-based care is imperative. As we think that the implementation of critical paths (or clinical paths) will be a strong impetus for team-centered care and, especially important, for a change in the mindset of the physicians, we have addressed this subject.