Activity-based financing of health care--experiences from Sweden

The market-inspired control models that go under the name of New Public Management (NPM) are no longer being debated in the arena of public health care as they once were, although there are still very clear signs of NPM in many countries. One manifestation of NPM in health care is activity-based financing. The first purpose of this paper is to describe what impacts activity-based financing has had in Sweden's public health service. The second purpose is to explain why the application of the payment model has been gradually changed. The basis for the paper comprises research done on activity-based financing. The review of the development within Swedish health care regarding activity-based financing shows that effects appear. But it also becomes evident that the models often are adjusted and that the adjustments, for example the introduction of a production ceiling, changes the effects. The fundamental dilemma appears to be finding a balance between production efficiency and total cost control.