[Stroke treatment in the 2006 German diagnosis-related group system]

The 2006 version of the German diagnosis-related group (DRG) system distinguishes for the first time between different forms of treatment for acute stroke. This was made possible through cooperation of the German Stroke Society (Deutsche Schlaganfall Gesellschaft) in further development of the German procedure classification (OPS) and G-DRG system. The 2005 procedure codes for complex neurologic treatment of acute stroke (OPS 8-981) collated treatment methods for the first time in a data base. Their consideration in the 2006 German DRG system was made possible by further data collection from participating hospitals. Hence the complex neurologic treatment of acute stroke now serves as a qualifying criterion for seven higher weighted DRGs. Even though this might not lead directly to a rise in a given hospital's total revenue, it can ease adjustments to the DRG price system and present a more realistic picture of the relationships between the various departments within a hospital.