[Hospital infections as quality indicators. DRG-based financing, did it change therapeutic quality?]

In 1991, four Norwegian hospitals switched from 100% global budgeting to a combination of 40% DRG-based per case payment and 60% fixed grant financing. In order to monitor quality of care, the prevalences of infections acquired in hospital were registered in medical and surgical departments during the two first years after changing the system of financing. The total cumulative prevalence of hospital acquired infections was 6.3%. There was no change in the occurrence of hospital acquired infections during the observation period. The prevalence of nosocomial infection was significantly higher among patients receiving long-term care than among other patients (18.9% vc. 4.2%, p < 0.0001).