Adjusting hospital inpatient payment systems for COVID-19. (Special Issue: COVID-19 health system response.)

ABSTRACT

All countries in Europe will have to find solutions to protect hospitals from revenue shortfalls and to adequately reimburse for COVID-19-related costs of care. This article reports on changes to hospital payment systems in Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (England). Hospitals in these countries are paid for treating COVID-19 patients using the usual system, modified Diagnosis Related Groups or new mechanisms. In many countries, hospitals receive their usual budgets or new money to compensate for revenue shortfalls. Only a few countries are paying non-contracted providers.