A year's experience in the application of DRG (Diagnosis Related Groups) in urology

The application of DRGs, since 1.1.1995, has brought about a radical change in the management of Hospital Departments. In Urology the new tariffs involve an average reduction in remuneration compared to those of 1994 for each single admission. The solution to problems arising from the application of DRGs must be sought in the improvement of efficiency in Departments and Services. At the Urology Department of S. Raffaele Hospital a general reorganization has been carried out in order to achieve the objective of greater efficiency: the average hospital stay has decreased by 50%, bed saturation is 93.5%, surgical operations have increased by 45%, the average weight per admission has decreased by 12%, due to a relative increase in the medium-small pathology. DRGs can bring about an improvement in Hospital efficiency, but they involve imbalances, the consequences of which will be evaluated in the near future.