Guidelines for Hospital Managers Implementing DRGs

Following an extensive literature review and drawing upon the authors’ professional experience as health services researchers and hospital managers, this article sets out the basic guidelines for hospital managers who are called upon to implement DRGs. The authors described ways in which hospital administrations can assess the positive effects of changes of DRGs and reduce the relevant risks accordingly. They highlighted the importance of effective human resource management and the role of education, while describing important changes that should be made in workflows, in the acquisition of new skills and the creation of new roles. Furthermore, this article explored the role of Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence in the context of this transition and proposed ideas for implementing useful tools through the development of new software that increases the accuracy of medical coding and reduces workload. These guidelines can serve as a springboard for hospital management to help them with the first steps of the implementation of the DRG system and its constant evolution. While the proposed guidelines offer practical direction for hospital managers implementing DRGs, their implementation is influenced by various financial and organizational challenges. However, their implementation is affected by various financial and organizational challenges that will have to be taken into account from the hospital managers.