Diagnosis-related groups-based medical payment in simulation run

BEIJING -- A pilot program of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs), which classifies different groups of patients to streamline medical insurance payment, has been put in a simulation run in 30 Chinese cities, the National Healthcare Security Administration said on March 9.

All the cities in the simulation run program, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao and Urumqi, have passed an examination and evaluation, the administration said in a statement.

In the program, patients will be classified into DRGs on the basis of factors such as their clinical diagnosis, age, complications and treatment methods. Medical fees and insurance payments will thus be based on DRG classification instead of specific cases.

The program is expected to ensure more accurate management of medical institutions and patients, standardize hospitals' diagnosis and treatment, improve services for the patients and make more efficient use of the healthcare insurance funds, according to the administration.