Hospital costs associated with psychiatric comorbidities: a retrospective study.
Jan WolffThomas HeisterClaus NormannKlaus KaierPublished in: BMC health services research (2018)
If differences in hospital costs between patient groups are not adequately accounted for in DRG-systems, perverse incentives are created that can reduce the efficiency of care. Therefore, we suggest intensifying the inclusion of psychiatric comorbidities in the German DRG system. Future research should investigate the appropriate inclusion of psychiatric comorbidities in other health care systems' payment schemes.